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Apple Could Face Antitrust Investigation In India After NGO Files Lawsuit Over In-App Payments
5 Sep, 2021 / 10:46 am / OMNES Media LLC

Source: https://in.mashable.com/

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Big tech and antitrust lawsuits almost go hand in hand these days and Apple has now been accused of abusing its dominant position in the smartphone apps market in India, with a claim that its in-app purchase rules destroy competition.

According to a Reuters report, a non-profit group named Together We Fight Society has filed a lawsuit against Apple. The main concern is that Apple prohibits developers from using third-party payment systems, which raises costs both for devs and customers — not like we haven't heard Apple being accused of that before, but this is the first time a lawsuit has been filed in India.

“The existence of the 30% commission means that some app developers will never make it to the market,” the filing reads. “This could also result in consumer harm.”

 

The Competition Commission of India will now look into the case. The country’s regulator might conduct an investigation against Apple if it deems that the NGO's points are valid.

The problem with Apple dictating payment terms on App Store has been widely reviewed in different countries over the last few months. South Korea passed the so-called “Anti-Google law” that prevents mobile platform holders from forcing developers to use their proprietary payment systems. Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service also requested Apple to let developers add alternative payment methods on App Store.

Apple plans to abandon the current restrictions in early 2022. The company will let developers link from their own websites to alternative payment options. The new rules, however, will only work for media apps like Spotify and Netflix. Game developers will still have to pay a 30% fee from every transaction on the store.