Apple sues Russian market regulator

Apple has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) in response to the Russian market regulator's antitrust action. An article in Russia Today reported that Apple is seeking judicial review of the regulator's warning.

The warning gave the iPhone maker until September 30 to update its anti-steering practices. The report says Apple is seeking a judicial review of a warning requiring app developers to inform customers about alternative payment options when using Apple's App Store platform.

The Russian regulator had warned that Cupertino-based Apple could be fined based on its revenue in Russia. Apple began a legal process in October after the country's antitrust agency found that it had not complied with the request.

A fine of $12 million (906 million rubles) was levied by the FAS in April for Apple's restrictive practices regarding the parental control app Kaspersky Safe Kids. The US firm had filed a lawsuit to challenge the penalty.

Apple had said: "We worked with Kaspersky to get their app in compliance with child safety guidelines. Kaspersky now has 13 apps in the App Store, and Apple has processed hundreds of updates for them."