The technology giant Apple had to pay a fine equivalent to US$12 million at the current exchange rate after a complaint from the cybersecurity firm.
Russia announced on Monday that Apple had paid a multi-million dollar fine for “abuse of a dominant position” in the market by giving preference to its applications for electronic devices, following a complaint by Russia’s Kaspersky Lab .
” Apple has paid a fine of 906 million rubles (more than 12 million dollars at current exchange rates). The funds have already been received by (…) the Russian Federation , ” the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said on Telegram . )
Apple pays the fine imposed by Russia
In April 2021, the FAS ordered the US giant to pay more than 900 million rubles ($12.1 million), ruling in favor of a complaint filed by the Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab .
” Apple abused its dominant position in the distribution of mobile applications on the iOS operating system ,” FAS said in a statement.
Kaspersky Lab sued Apple accusing it of having blocked access to its parental control program at the time the American was going to launch a similar application.
The United States considers the Kaspersky Lab company a “threat to national security” since March 2022, just after the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, which resulted in a hail of international sanctions against the Russian economy.
Apple appealed the FAS decision, but the Russian courts have sided with the antitrust regulator.
A history of fines for Apple in Russia
On February 14, the Moscow Arbitration Court also rejected the appeal filed by the technology company and confirmed the legality of the fine imposed.
Since April 2021, the Russian government has imposed the pre-installation of certain Russian applications — including some from Kaspersky Lab — on all electronic devices sold in Russia .
Several high-tech companies, including Apple , have left the Russian market because of the conflict in Ukraine , and many skilled IT workers have left for other countries.