Apple has filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) over its warning to allow links to alternative payment systems on the App Store. After the new Korean antitrust law to prohibit Apple and Google from charging in-app commission from developers, Russia got encouragement to go after the Cupertino tech giant to “stop abuse in the market”.
In October this year, the FAS launched an antitrust investigation against Apple, after the tech company ignored the agency’s warning to remove the anti-steering restriction on the App Store by September 30, 2021. If the company is found in violation of Competition Law, the authority will impose a turnover penalty on the amount of market revenue on it.
Previously, based on the complaint from Kaspersky Lab after its Safe Kids app was declined by Apple, the FAS ruled that the company should remove the App Store review process for third-party apps. As a result of non-compliance, the FAS levied a $12 million fine on the tech giant for alleged abuse of its dominant position in the mobile app market by controlling app distribution on iOS.
Apple seeks court injunction to prevent links to alternative payment methods on the App Store in Russian
According to a report by RT, the Cupertino tech giant wants to court to stop the Russian FAS from forcing it to allow links to alternative payment methods on the App Store. Currently, developers pay a 15% – 30% commission cut on all in-app purchases via the App Store and prohibit developers from informing users of and adding links to third-party payment methods on the App Store. The authority argues that this anti-steering policy prevents consumers from making cheaper purchases.
US technology giant Apple has brought legal action against Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) in an effort to challenge the request to “stop abuse in the market” submitted by that body earlier this year.
Apple is seeking a judicial review of a warning, which is forcing the iPhone maker to allow app developers to tell customers about alternative payment options when using its App Store platform. The case arose after users of iOS devices, along with developers, had notified the regulator with a complaint that it was sometimes cheaper to buy a product on the seller’s website rather than on Apple’s platform.
The Cupertino tech giant is fighting a similar court case in the U.S. In the Epic Games case, Judge Rogers found Apple’s anti-steering policy in violation of antitrust law in California and ordered to allow links to third-party payment methods on the App Store in 90 days. Unwilling to make the changes, the tech giant has filed a stay motion in the Ninth Circuit by December 8, 2021, before the expiration of the deadline, after its appeal to delay the changes was rejected.
