Russian's lawmakers move to cap app store commissions at 20%, targeting Apple and Google

Russia is set to turn up the pressure on Apple, with Reuters reporting that Russian lawmakers are submitting draft legislation that would cap app store commissions for mobile applications.

The bill is being submitted by Fedot Tumusov and would cut app store commission to 20%, and in addition, would force app stores to invest 1/3 of their commission to a special training fund for IT specialists on a quarterly basis.

“Lowering the commission and having the ability to bring products to users is a growth opportunity for IT developers,” Tumusov wrote on social media.

The news comes at a bad time for Apple, who is currently involved in a legal battle with Epic games about its 30% commission and App Store restrictions which is receiving wide support by other technology giants such as Microsoft and Facebook.

The Russian FAS (Federal Anti-monopoly Service) has recently found Apple guilty of abusing its monopoly on iOS, after adjudicating a complaint made by anti-virus company Kaspersky.

FAS says after conducting a thorough investigation of the documentation and technological features of iOS and applications and evaluating Apple’s actions, the FAS Russia Commission came to the conclusion that the company had abused its dominant position in the market for distributing mobile applications on the iOS operating system.

Apple has now been issued a corrective order that requires it to remove from the documentation provisions that give it the right to reject (deny) third-party applications from the App Store for any reason, even if they meet all requirements.

The regulation also requires Apple to ensure that in-house apps do not take precedence over third-party apps, and that developers of parental control apps can distribute apps to the App Store without losing critical functionality.

Apple must comply with the requirements of the order by November 30, 2020, and must also inform the FAS Russia within 5 days from the date of implementation.

Apple is currently the subject of an investigation by the US Congress Anti-trust Subcommittee and the European Competition Commission and has been taken to court by Epic Games accused of abusing its control of the iOS platform.

via Pocketnow