According to Reuters, Apple could face a wide-ranging investigation into its App Store in India and, more specifically, its in-app purchasing system which gives it a 15%-30% commission on all purchases.
The Competition Commission of India, which reviews cases of anti-competitive or antitrust behavior, has been reviewing an antitrust case against Apple brought by a non-profit Indian organization. In their case, the group claims that Apple's 30% standard commission for in-app purchase "hurts competition" because it increases costs for both the customer and the developer.
"The 30% commission means some app developers won't make it to market because of this. The filing was seen by Reuters.
Apple has been involved in numerous similar cases around the world, including in the European Union as well as by developers groups in the United States. The Indian government is not conducting a thorough investigation at this stage. Reuters reports that the CCI will review it in the coming weeks and possibly lead to a probe.
The group behind this case wants Apple to allow third party payment methods to its app. This will allow developers to bypass the 15%-30% commission. This new case was made public just hours after Apple announced it would allow "reader" apps linking users to external websites to purchase products.
This is only the second policy change in the last few weeks. Apple allowed developers to email their users last week about other payment options. The new changes do not require developers to use Apple's in-app purchasing system. Instead, they can add a distinct link to another website to pay.
