Apple Might Be Forced To Lower App Store Commission To 20% In Russia

KEY POINTS

Apple takes a 30% cut from App Store sales
A Russian lawmaker has filed a bill that would lower that to 20% in Russia
The bill will require app sellers to give a third of their commissions to a special fund for IT specialists every quarter

Apple could be forced to cut the commission it receives from app developers if new legislation in Russia works out, a report reveals.

Russian lawmaker Fedot Tumusov has submitted draft legislation urging the government to put a cap on the commissions that Apple receives from app sales on the App Store, Reuters reported.

The bill, submitted to the Russian lower house of parliament on Tuesday, Sept. 1, aims to impose a 20% cap on Apple's commission, down from the 30% that it currently receives from all app transactions inside its own store.

It will also put a cap on the commissions Google receives from developers.

Tumusov explained via an Instagram post that the bill came about after seeing posts regarding the “monopoly that exists on the mobile applications market.”

The Russian lawmaker said that these developers are required to pay commissions as “otherwise they simply have no chance to convey their product.”

Epic vs. Apple

Tumusov's words seem to echo what “Fortnite” developer Epic Games' recent statements regarding Apple. The developer and publisher is currently in a legal battle with the Cupertino tech giant over in-app purchasing methods.

Epic earlier accused Apple of using “anti-competitive restraints and monopolistic practices” to “prevent software developers from reaching the over one billion users of its mobile devices... unless they go through a single store controlled by Apple, the App Store, where it exacts an oppressive 30% tax on the sale of every app.”

Legislation

Tumusov took note of the increasing conflict between Apple and app developers, including Epic and Facebook, and introduced the bill that will reduce the amount the iPhone maker requires app developers.

The legislation will also require app sellers to pay a third of the commissions they receive to a special fund every quarter. This fund will be used for the training of IT specialists.

“Lowering the commission and having the ability to bring products to users is a growth opportunity for IT developers,” Tumusov wrote.