Samsung Fined 20 Billion Won Over GOS Advertising
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission ruled Samsung's gaming-performance ads misleading and ordered corrective measures; Samsung vows to challenge the decision in court.
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) fined Samsung Electronics 20 billion won and issued a corrective order over advertising tied to its Game Optimizing Service (GOS), according to techm.kr. The decision covers the GOS policy applied to the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 series from January 2021 to March 2022.
The KFTC judged the related advertisements deceptive under Article 3, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising. The regulator said Samsung promoted strong gaming performance without telling consumers that certain high-spec games are run with the AP's maximum operating speed and refresh rate uniformly limited, regardless of device temperature.
Samsung rejected the finding. Through its legal representative Jipyong, the company said it cannot accept the decision and will prove in litigation that the advertisements did not violate the law.
The company also said the individual optimization setting at issue is no longer in use, and that no sanctions or rulings finding it legally liable had been issued in Korea or abroad before this decision.
Quick answers
How much was Samsung Electronics fined?
The Fair Trade Commission imposed a 20 billion won fine along with a corrective order.
Which devices were covered by the GOS case?
The Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Tab S8 series, from January 2021 to March 2022.
Will Samsung appeal the ruling?
Yes. Samsung said through its legal representative Jipyong that it cannot accept the decision and will argue in litigation that its advertisements did not violate the law.