Apple settles $13.7 million antitrust fine
U.S. technology giant Appl has paid a 1.2 billion roubles ($13.65 million) fine to Russia, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) announced on Monday. The fine was imposed for Apple's alleged abuse of its dominant market position in managing in-app payments.
Previously, Apple has "respectfully disagreed" with the FAS ruling, which stated that the company's distribution of applications via its iOS operating system unfairly favored its own products. However, Apple, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, has now complied with the order.
The Federal Antimonopoly Service confirmed that Apple paid the fine on January 19, and the funds have been transferred to Russia's federal budget.
In a related development, the FAS reported in February 2023 that Apple had settled approximately a $12.1 million fine in another antitrust case. This case accused Apple of abusing its dominance in the mobile applications market.
Russia has been in ongoing disputes with foreign technology firms over various issues, including content deemed unlawful by Moscow and the firms' failure to store user data within Russia. These disputes have escalated since Russia deployed troops to Ukraine in February 2022.
In response to the conflict in Ukraine, Apple halted all product sales in Russia and restricted its Apple Pay service in the country.
