Russia’s competition regulator fined Apple RUB906 million ($12.1 million) for abusing its market position by favouring its own services on the App Store, adding to the company’s ongoing challenges in the digital distribution area.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia (FAS) explained the company is currently appealing an order for it to amend its practices by removing provisions enabling it to reject third-party apps on the App Store for any reason.
Apple’s court challenge also covers a FAS requirement for it to ensure in-house apps are not prioritised over third-party alternatives, along with a stipulation it allows developers to distribute their services through the App Store without restricting specific functions.
The FAS fine and attempts to rein Apple in are the result of an investigation commenced in August 2019 following a complaint from cybersecurity company Kaspersky that Apple stifled competition on the App Store.
Apple faces several similar probes into its practices from authorities in Europe [1], South Korea and the UK [2], while it is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Epic Games [3] in its home market.
In 2020, the French Competition Authority imposed a fine of €1.1 billion [4] on Apple over breaches, stating it was the highest ever penalty it had issued.
[1] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/featured-content/top-three/ec-moves-on-apple-with-competition-probes
[2] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/featured-content/apps-home-banner/apple-faces-further-scrutiny-as-uk-opens-app-probe
[3] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/apps/news-apps/epic-games-wins-over-apple-claims-in-fortnite-battle
[4] https://www.mobileworldlive.com/featured-content/top-three/france-slaps-record-fine-on-apple
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