By Nadezhda Tsydenova
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian lawmaker submitted draft legislation on Tuesday that would cut and cap the commission on the sale of mobile applications by tech giants Apple and Google.
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%. Apple currently collects a 30% commission on sales in its App Store.
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.
“Lowering the commission and having the ability to bring products to users is a growth opportunity for IT developers,” Tumusov wrote on social media.
The news comes as app makers, including Epic Games, have challenged Apple’s and Google’s right to take a large commission on their sales.
Last week a U.S. federal judge blocked Apple Inc from shutting down an Epic Games tool that is relied upon by hundreds of other app makers but had become the subject of an antitrust battle between the companies.
Russia’s anti-monopoly service last month accused Apple of having abused its dominant position on the mobile apps market through its App Store. It demanded that the company put right its violations.
Apple at the time said it would appeal the decision.
