Apple pays 906 million rouble fine for alleged app market abuse in Russia

US tech giant Apple has paid a 906 million rouble (S$16.4 million) fine in a Russian antitrust case alleging abuse of its dominance in the mobile apps market, Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said on Monday (Feb 27).

Apple, which did not immediately respond to a 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 determined in August 2020 that Apple had abused its dominant position, then issued a directive requiring Apple to remove provisions giving it the right to reject third-party apps from its App Store.

That move followed a complaint from cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, which had said a new version of its Safe Kids application had been declined by Apple’s operating system.

“Apple has paid a 906 million rouble antitrust fine,” the FAS said in a statement on its Telegram channel.

Apple had appealed the decision at various stages, but had been unsuccessful and ultimately complied with the order, the FAS said.

In a separate case, the FAS in January said it had fined Apple around US$17.4 million for allegedly forcing Russian developers to use Apple’s payment services with the iOS App Store.

Apple paused all product sales in Russia a year ago, after Moscow despatched its armed forces to Ukraine, and limited its Apple Pay service in Russia. REUTERS