A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced legislation that seeks to reshape how app marketplaces operate in the US. Penned by Senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and co-sponsored by Amy Klobuchar, the chair of the Senate antitrust subcommittee, the proposed legislation would “prevent app stores from disadvantaging developers.”
The Open App Markets Act reads like a wishlist of items groups like the Coalition for App Fairness have advocated for in their fight against Apple and Google. So it should come as no surprise the organization has come out in support of the proposed legislation. One of the most noteworthy provisions included in the bill’s current iteration is a clause that would prohibit app marketplace owners from forcing third-party developers to use a payment system they own. Another provision aimed almost exclusively at Apple would force platform holders to allow consumers to sideload software and install third-party app stores.
Payment systems have been one of the issues at the heart of the recent antitrust movement. Apple kicked Epic Games off the App Store after the studio implemented a way for Fortnite players to skirt its 30 percent fee. Google, meanwhile, announced at the end of 2020 that it would give developers until later this year to make their apps compliant with the Play Store’s billing system.
“The legislation would help create a more competitive app marketplace that will ignite innovation in the digital economy, and provide more options for American consumers,” the Coalition for App Fairness said in a statement.
Outside of the CAF, organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Internet Accountability Project support the bill. Of course, introducing legislation and passing it are two very different things. You can be sure Apple and Google will lobby to soften the Open App Markets Act since it threatens the way they do business.
