Apple Settles $13.7M Fine With Russia's Antitrust Watchdog Over In-App Payment Tactics

Apple Inc. AAPL has paid a hefty fine of $13.7 million to Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service or FAS. The fine was imposed on the tech behemoth for its alleged abuse of dominant market position.

What Happened: Apple settled the fine, equivalent to 1.2 billion roubles, on Jan. 19, revealed Russia’s FAS antitrust on Monday. The FAS accused Apple of leveraging its in-app payment system to give its own products an unfair advantage, reported Reuters. 

The FAS confirmed that the fine had been paid and the amount has been transferred to Russia’s federal budget. Apple, however, has yet to comment on this development. The company had previously expressed disagreement with the FAS’s decision, the report noted.

See Also: Supreme Court Decision Shakes Up Apple’s App Store, Opens Door for Cheaper App Purchases

Last year, Apple had paid approximately $12.1 million in another antitrust case, regarding alleged abuse of its dominance in the mobile apps market. The company had also suspended all sales in Russia and limited its Apple Pay service following the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

Why It Matters: This penalty comes at a time when Apple has been facing backlash over its controversial App Store policies. 

Apple has updated its App Store guidelines, allowing U.S. developers to incorporate links to external payment platforms. 

Despite this, developers still have to pay a percentage of the transaction to Apple. The fee has been reduced to 27% or 12% for developers in the App Store Small Business Program.

However, critics and developers have described these changes as outrageous and predict potential legal disputes.

Photo via Shutterstock

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.