Apple and Google have both been ordered by officials in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei City to bring in seven day trial periods for the apps on their respective marketplaces.

Announced to coincide with the end of Computex, law and regulation commission director Yeh Ching-yuan claimed both companies are currently guilty of operating "an irresponsible business practice", handing them 15 days to respond.

Pay to play?

Currently, Apple offers no refund system for apps purchased on the App Store, while Google hands consumers a 15 minute window – reduced from the previous 24 hour cap following complaints by developers.

At the time, it was believed many users were playing games for a day before demanding a refund, effectively handing them apps for 24 hours for free.

However, Taipei City believes Apple and Google need to fall in line with Taiwan's consumer protection act, which requires firms to offer free trail periods of at least seven days.

Failure to comply with the order could result in fines of $50,000 or more.

[source: TechEye]