On the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service on Jan. 17 local time issued a 1.2 billion ruble (currently about 118 million yuan) fine to Apple for tying the company to the use of Apple’s payment system in software developed in Russia.
Officials said in a statement that “Apple requires Russian iOS app developers to use the company’s payment tools in their apps.” Officials said the company must pay the fine (the exact figure is 117,797,887,700 rubles) within two months.
According to the Russian Antimonopoly Service, App Store rules prohibit iOS app developers from informing customers about the possibility of buying apps outside the store and using other payment methods.
The company requires developers to remove pointers to external links and change the functionality of the app so that registration does not lead users to external sites. Otherwise, the company would not allow its apps to be listed in the App Store.
According to the regulator, the US company prohibited Russian developers from informing purchasers of apps in the App Store about alternative payment methods.
Last July a Moscow court fined Apple 2 million rubles (currently about $196,000) for refusing to localize Russian data. the FAS ruled that Apple’s violation of antitrust law for abuse of a dominant market position in the summer of 2022 will take the form of a fine in the form of a percentage of turnover, which is 0.01-0.15 percent of the company’s annual revenue in the Russian Federation. The FAS noted that the amount of the turnover penalty will be allocated after the investigation.
