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A Russian lawmaker introduced a bill on Tuesday that would cap Apple’s app fees to 20% and could force the company to allow third-party app stores on its devices.
The bill, introduced Tuesday by Fedot Tumosov, a member of the Russian state Duma, would affect mobile app markets such as the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. The latter platform has been accused of anti-competitive behavior by Russia’s antitrust authorities.
If adopted, the legislation would limit a company’s cut in app sales and in-app purchases to 20%, Reuters reported. It would “force” device manufacturers to allow the installation of third-party app stores on mobile devices, Tumosov wrote on social media.
In addition, the bill would require companies that charge fees for the sale of applications to pay one-third of those commissions to a special Internet technology training fund each quarter.
Apple currently charges a commission of 15% to 30% on sales of digital products in its app store, in line with other companies like Google. That cut has drawn criticism from both developers and antitrust regulators, one of whom compared the fee to “highway robbery.”
“In recent weeks, the conflict between developers and owners of the so-called ‘markets’, that is, app stores, has only grown. Apple’s conflict with Epic Games, Facebook’s attempt to inform users about the tax accused of Apple, all this led him to believe that the problem could be solved through legislation, “he said.
Tumosov also dismissed concerns that the move would force Apple to leave the Russian market, saying “the trend is global, and Russia should not be left behind.”
Some authorities in Russia are voicing their opposition to the bill, saying it may create a “dangerous precedent” if the state imposes such regulations, according to a Russia-based business publication. Kommersant.
The legislation comes amid global antitrust scrutiny from Apple and other tech giants. CEOs of major tech companies, including Apple, testified in July before a US House Judiciary Committee as part of a larger investigation examining the power of US tech companies.
Apple is also in the middle of an ongoing legal dispute with Epic Games over the implementation of a payment system that bypassed Apple’s App Store fees.
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