Chinese Government Blocks iTunes Movies & iBooks Stores

Thinking of running a tech business in China? Chances are you will be faced with a host of limitations, from games having to be censored, graphics changed to avoid certain imagery, apps blocked, movies restricted/censored, and so on. Just ask Google who pulled their Play Store out of China (although there are rumors that they want to make a comeback).

However oddly enough for the most part, Apple has been allowed to run relatively unrestricted in the country, but not anymore. According to reports, it seems that the Chinese government has recently decided to block access to iTunes Movies and iBooks Stores in the country. It is unclear as to why the Chinese government has decided to do this, but competition could be a reason.

Speaking to the New York Times, Daniel H. Rosen who is  a founding partner at Rhodium Group, a firm that specializes in the Chinese economy, he suggested that this is because China is interested in promoting Chinese companies and at the same time trying to reduce the impact of foreign tech companies such a Apple.

Apple is not alone in this as the report also suggests that the Chinese government is looking into other tech companies such as IBM, Qualcomm, and Microsoft (just to name a few) for apparently being “too deeply established in the country’s core industries”.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple
Tags: China, ibooks, iTunes, Legal