Apple has banned price fixing according to Russian cartel watchdog

The Russian competition authority has concluded that Apple is guilty of making prohibited price fixing. This is said to have happened on multiple iPhone models for several years, from the introduction of the iPhone 5 to the sale of the iPhone 6s Plus.

According to the Russian competition authority, Apple has violated Russian competition law. Apple is said to have done too little to prevent the violation of Russian rules. As an example of the price-fixing, the authority cites the case of the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. They entered the Russian market at the same time in October 2015, with both devices being sold for exactly the same price by sixteen different providers.

The used sales prices of various iPhone models are said to have been monitored by Apple in Russia. In case of different prices, Apple would have sent emails to the relevant sellers asking to adjust the prices. If they did not agree, Apple could unilaterally terminate the existing agreement between Apple and the retailer, according to the Russian authority.

According to a vice-chairman of the Russian competition authority, there is no evidence for the existence of price-fixing in the sale of the iPhone 7. According to the authority, Apple has now stopped the price-fixing and has cooperated in the investigation. Apple can still appeal against the administrative decision that there is a violation of Russian competition rules. Apple may be fined.