Moscow Court Rules Antitrust Case Against Apple App Store Valid

A Moscow court on Thursday ruled that it was lawful for Russia’s anti-monopoly regulator to open an antitrust case against Apple over an App Store payment dispute, dismissing a case brought by the US company, the RIA news agency reported.

Russia began the antitrust case against Apple in October, accusing it of failing to allow app developers to tell customers about alternative payment options when using its App Store. It said Apple could face a fine based on its revenue in Russia if found guilty. 

Apple and Russia’s Federal Anti-monopoly Service (FAS) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

RIA said the Moscow Arbitration Court had dismissed Apple’s case in its entirety. It said the decision can be appealed.

Separately, law firm Chernyshov, Lukoyanov & Partners on Wednesday said it was preparing a lawsuit against Apple for what it said was a violation of Russian consumers’ rights after the company restricted the use of Apple Pay on March 1 in response to Russia sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The same law firm is behind a similar lawsuit against streaming company Netflix, which in March suspended its service in Russia and said it was temporarily stopping all future projects and acquisitions in the country. 

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