In Russia too, the App Store does not want to give up its commission

Russian authorities want to force Apple to let developers of third-party apps warn their users about alternative payment solutions to that of the iPhone. In this way, they will then be able to do without the 30% commission which is levied on each in-app purchase. A real asset for small studios, which will then not be “forced” to inflate prices for consumers.

This is not a first, far from it: other jurisdictions have already tried the maneuver. The files are still not closedin certain countries such as Australia or the United States. On the other hand, there are many officials who have succeeded in bringing down the Apple in Japan. On site, the company therefore announcedleave the field more or less free for external transactions.

Justice seized

In Russia, it was on September 30 that the government warned Apple of its decision. But apparently, the firm does not see it that way and wishes to rely on the court to analyze the request in question. In this way, the procedure is also slowed down and iOS revenues are not immediately hampered.

It is impossible to know how long this ploy will last, but it is not uncommon to see judges refuse such requests to move cases forward in court. On the contrary, we can assume that intense lobbying operations carried out by the accused's lawyers among those concerned could weigh in the balance. On site,RTreports that Cupertino still faces a fine which would be calculated based on its turnover. Or several hundred million euros.

Only a few more weeks of respite?

Having already relaunched Apple in October, the company still not having updated its pricing policy, regulators are still likely to become impatient. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) was founded by Vladimir Putin in 2004, and several victims have already been attributed to it, such as the accommodation reservation platform Booking and the European operator Tele2. It has more than fourteen million customers, according to figures fromNew York Times(2014). Legislators are therefore not afraid to tackle behemoths.