Apple pays $12.12 million in Russian antitrust case

Apple has paid a 906 million rouble (about US$12.12 million) fine in a Russian antitrust case alleging abuse of its dominance in the mobile apps market, Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said.

Apple, which did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, has previously “respectfully disagreed” with a FAS ruling that Apple’s distribution of apps through its iOS operating system gave its own products a competitive advantage.

The FAS claims that Apple “prohibits iOS app developers from telling clients inside the app about the possibility of paying for purchases outside the App Store or using alternative payment methods.” Apple attempted to prevent the regulator from investigating the App Store in April, but it was dismissed by the court system.

This brouhaha continues Apple’s conflicts with the Russia court system. On July 12, 2022, a Moscow court fined Apple 2 million roubles (about US$33,900) for allegedly refusing to store the data of Russian citizens on Russian territory, the Interfax news agency reported.

In April a Moscow court ruled that it was lawful for Russia’s anti-monopoly regulator to open an antitrust case against Apple over an App Store payment dispute, dismissing a case brought by the tech giant. 

In December 2021, Apple brought legal action against the FAS in an effort to challenge the request to “stop abuse in the market” submitted by that body earlier this year,” according to a RT report.