In India, a lawsuit has been filed against Apple, which threatens the company with a new antitrust trial. We are talking about the lack of alternative payment methods in the App Store. The plaintiffs believe that the company destroys competition by prohibiting developers from using third-party payment systems.
The lawsuit against Apple was filed by the non-profit organization Together We Fight Society, according to Reuters. The company is accused of abusing its dominant position in the market.
The main complaint is the lack of opportunities to use third-party payment methods outside the App Store. Thus, iOS developers are forced to give Apple 30% of each transaction. According to the plaintiffs, this harms developers and increases the cost of applications and payments for users.
The case will be considered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). In the coming weeks, the regulatory authority may launch an investigation against Apple if it considers the claims indicated in the lawsuit sufficient to conduct an audit.
The problem of banning the use of third-party payment systems in the App Store has been increasingly raised in different countries in recent months.
At the end of August, the so-called “Law against Google” was adopted in South Korea, prohibiting mobile stores from imposing their payment systems on developers. This week, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia also demanded that Apple allow developers to specify alternative payment methods in the App Store.
Apple itself has announced that it will lift the current restrictions in early 2022. The company will allow you to post links to third-party sites for payment. However, the changes only affect subscription services for reading books, listening to music or watching videos. Game developers will still have to use only the App Store’s internal payment system.