US technology company Apple has paid a fine of Rbs1.2bn ($13.65m) to Russia, settling allegations of market dominance abuse related to in-app payments.
The company paid the fine on 19 January 2024 despite its disagreements with a ruling by Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS).
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The fine, imposed by the FAS, was transferred to Russia’s federal budget.
In July 2022, the FAS found that Apple was giving its products an unfair competitive advantage through the distribution of apps via its iOS operating system.
The FAS stated: “Apple prohibited iOS application developers from informing customers within the application about the possibility of paying for purchases outside the App Store, as well as using alternative payment methods.”
Apple “respectfully disagreed” with the FAS’s findings.
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By GlobalDataThis is not the first antitrust fine the company has faced in Russia.
In February 2023, the company paid $12.1m in a case alleging abuse of dominance in the mobile app market.
As part of a 2020 lawsuit by the Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab, the iPhone maker also previously paid Russia an anti-monopoly fine of Rbs906m.
Due to the conflict in Ukraine that began in February 2022, Apple suspended product sales in Russia and restricted its Apple Pay service in the country.
In October 2023, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets rejected objections filed by Apple against the penalty payments.
