Russia fined Apple 1.2 billion roubles for forcing App developers to use its payment system

CTOnews.com January 17 news, The Russian Federation anti-monopoly bureau 17 local time to Apple issued 1.2 billion rubles (currently about 118 million yuan) fine, Because the company in Russia developed software bound to use Apple payment system.

"Apple requires Russian iOS app developers to use the company's payment tools in their apps," the official said in a statement. Officials say the company must pay the fine (117,798,700 rubles) within two months.

According to the Russian Antimonopoly Service, App Store rules prohibit iOS app developers from informing customers about the possibility of purchasing apps and using other payment methods outside the store.

The company requires developers to remove directional outlinks and change app functionality so that registration does not lead users to external sites. Otherwise, the company will not allow the app to be listed in the App Store.

Regulators believe the US company prohibits Russian developers from informing buyers of apps in the App Store of alternative payment methods.

CTOnews.com reported that in July last year, a court in Moscow fined Apple 2 million rubles (currently about 196,000 yuan) for refusing to localize Russian data. FAS ruled that Apple violated antitrust law for abusing its dominant market position in the summer of 2022 and will impose fines in the form of percentage of turnover, ranging from 0.01 to 0.15% of the company's annual revenue in The Russian Federation. FAS indicated that the amount of the turnover penalty would be distributed after the investigation.