Apple is in a global fight to protect its App Store business model, and the latest development lands us in Russia. Apple is taking legal action after objecting to a ruling by the country’s Federal Antimonopoly Service that would allow developers to promote alternative payment methods to Apple’s in-app purchases.
Apple takes a 15% to 30% cut of revenue generated through the App Store, and apps on iPhone and iPad are only distributed through the App Store.
This includes monthly payments to subscription services like Netflix and Spotify. App developers regularly increase rates that use in-app purchases to compete with direct payments over the web, where Apple’s 15-30% commission isn’t applied.
RT reports on the latest move by Apple to preserve its App Store policy:
Apple is seeking a judicial review of a warning, which is forcing the iPhone maker to allow app developers to tell customers about alternative payment options when using its App Store platform.
The warning, delivered by the government body in August, gave Apple a September 30 deadline to resolve the issue. Back then, the regulator warned that the Cupertino-based multinational could face a fine that would be calculated based on its revenue in Russia.
Apple declined to comply with the deadline to change its policy at the end of September, and Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service started legal proceedings against Apple. Now, Apple is challenging the request by taking the FAS to court.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Apple is facing a similar situation in which the court is requiring Apple to support third-party payment methods in apps from the App Store. As it stands, Apple intends to collect a commission from these third-party payment methods.
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