A fine of 906,299,392.16 rubles (over 12 million US dollars) was imposed on Apple by the FAS of Russia. The American company was found guilty of violating antitrust laws by abusing its dominant market position.
As the antimonopoly agency recalls on its website, the proceedings against Apple were initiated at the request of the Russian manufacturer of cybersecurity and data protection software, Kaspersky Lab.
The FAS decided that Apple abused its dominant position as the owner of the App Store – the only platform where iOS applications are legally available, and at the same time the developer of its own software solutions.
Kaspersky Lab complained in 2019 that Apple unreasonably refused to place the parental control program Kaspersky Safe Kids (KSK) in the App Store after it introduced its own Screen Time feature in iOS 12 with similar capabilities. In August 2020, the FAS found the American corporation guilty.
In addition to the fine, the FAS also issued an order to Apple to remove from its rules provisions that allow it to not allow third-party applications in the App Store for any reason, even if they meet all the requirements. Such provisions, the Russian regulator believes, contradict antimonopoly legislation. In addition, the FAS obliged Apple to provide third-party applications with all the same capabilities as its own, as well as to ensure that developers of parental control software can distribute applications in the App Store without losing important functions.
Apple has appealed the decision of the antimonopoly department in court, and while the proceedings are ongoing, the execution of the FAS order has been suspended. The company said that it did not agree with the position of the regulator.
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