Apple Attempts to Stop Developers Promoting Alternative Payment Options for In-App Purchases in Russia - MacRumors
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Apple Attempts to Stop Developers Promoting Alternative Payment Options for In-App Purchases in Russia

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Apple is undertaking legal action in Russia to prevent developers from promoting alternative payment methods for in-app purchases that bypass the company's payment system, RT reports.

app store blue banner russia
Apple's lawsuit attempts to challenge Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) and the request it made to the company in August to "stop abuse in the market." The FAS's request would allow developers to inform users about alternative payment options for in-app purchases, but Apple is seeking to have this withdrawn by judicial review.

The FAS's demand was based on the fact that some users and developers had notified it that some in-app purchases were cheaper outside the App Store due to skirting Apple's 15 to 30 percent commission, but this is not allowed to be highlighted in apps due to Apple's rules.

Apple was given a deadline of September 30 to allow developers to promote alternative payment methods and was cautioned that a failure to abide by the request could result in a fine based on the company's revenue in Russia. In October, the FAS initiated proceedings against Apple for non-compliance.

The development is Apple's latest point of contention in Russia. In March, Apple was forced to comply with a request from the Russian government to show users a list of government-approved apps to download during initial device setup, and in April, the company was fined $12 million for violating anti-monopoly rules with the ‌App Store‌.

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Tags: App Store, Russia

Top Rated Comments

N
now i see it
57 months ago
There’s a certain satisfaction seeing this all go down
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
contacos
57 months ago
In Russia? Maybe in the EU but in Russia? Good luck with that. That’s like telling China what to do
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sophisticatednut Avatar
Sophisticatednut
57 months ago
Oh well look at that.
Apple is a curb defender of democracy and human rights.
Putin tells apple to remove VPNs and other essential apps for freedom.
Yes Ms Putin, apple always follow local laws as there’s nothing we can do.
Putin order apple to lower their revenue by 1%
Screech, you will take the nicked out of apples cold dead hands as we fight to the death for and litigation to postpone any ruling.

How the double standards are so clear when apple always follow local laws… when convenient
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
Johnny907
57 months ago
So not when a corrupt Russian government imposes restrictions that threaten the social and civil liberties of Russian citizens, but only when that same corrupt government threatens Apple's revenue that it finally says something.
Ya paying attention, folks? It's a company, not a cult. Stop defending it when it does wrong.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
collin_ Avatar
collin_
57 months ago
Lol. Didn’t Apple recently state that they would stop banning developers from linking to alternative payment services in the wake of the South Korea and California litigation? (Which, to be clear, is textbook anticompetitive behavior.)

Apple will act ethical and benevolent in press releases and then fight tooth and nail in court trying to achieve whatever outcome makes them the most money, no matter how sordid it is.

And don’t even get me started on how many of their executives and board members (including Tim Cook) are also board members of lobbying organizations that fight against basically everything Apple claims to stand for (including legislation intended to tackle climate change).

I love their products, and there are a lot of truly good people at the company. But this apple is growing more and more rotten at its core, and they are sorely mistaken if they think that we, their customers, don’t notice.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Victor Mortimer Avatar
Victor Mortimer
57 months ago

Typo in the third word, @Hartley
That's not a typo. That just means Apple's lawyers were working from home, and as is the fashion these days, not bothering putting on pants, thus taking the action in their underwear. And when it's used in a compound word like that, "undies" loses the "i". Thus you get the word "undetaking".
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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