Russia's FAS finds Apple guilty of abuse on apps market

MOSCOW. July 19 (Interfax) - The Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) has found the U.S. company Apple guilty of violating anti-monopoly legislation, the FAS said in a statement.

"The commission of the FAS of Russia has found Apple guilty of abusing its dominant position on the market for iOS applications," it said.

The company will face a turnover-based fine, the size of which will be determined during an administrative investigation.

Under the law, a turnover-based fine for a company abusing its dominant position on the product market may amount to 0.01%-0.15% of the company's yearly revenue in Russia.

The FAS initiated a case against Apple in late October 2021. The regulator had earlier given the corporation a month, until September 30, 2021, to eliminate the violation related to the inability to pay for goods by users in applications from the App Store catalog using external links.

The FAS had previously revealed that Apple prohibits iOS application developers from informing customers inside the application about the possibility of paying for purchases outside the App Store. Otherwise, the corporation does not allow the app in the App Store.

The FAS also said then that Apple's actions limited developers' choice of conduct and could lead to an increase in prices for their products.