Apple May be Forced to Cut Commission to 20% in Russian App Store

Apple could be forced to cut its commission in the Russian App Store to 20%, down from its usual 30% cut of the action. Draft legislation introduced in the Russian parliament could force the Cupertino firm to drop its commission.

Reuters reports that the bill will require Apple and Google both to cap their commissions on the sale of apps in their app stores at 20%. Apple and Google both traditionally take 30% of the action in the App Store and Google Play Store, respectively.

The bill, submitted to Russia’s lower house of parliament by lawmaker Fedot Tumusov, stipulates that commissions on the sale of applications be capped at 20%.

The bill, if adopted, would also oblige app sellers to pay a third of their commissions to a special training fund for IT specialists on a quarterly basis.

Russian-language publication Kommersant reports the bill also would oblige owners of mobile operating systems to allow users to install apps from alternative stores. This will be a big pain for Apple, as while Google’s Android devices allow sideloading of apps outside of the Google Play Store, Apple’s iOS App Store is the only way to install apps on iOS devices unless the user jailbreaks their device.

The proposed Russian legislation is just the latest in what seems to be an ongoing series of controversies Apple is facing in recent months. Apple is in an ongoing court battle with Epic Games over in-app purchases in the Fortnite game, and regulators are also taking a close look at Apple’s App Store policies.

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