US: Open App Markets Act to regulate app stores
The discussion about app store monopolies has intensified in recent years, particularly with Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple and Google over monetization and policies. Slowly but surely, lawmakers are coming up with their own solutions, and now a bill in the United States has reached an important milestone: it has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Open App Markets Act, also known as S.2710, sets rules for all app stores with more than 50 million users - this currently includes the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and other similar platforms. Here is the official description from Congress.gov:
"The bill prohibits a covered company from (1) requiring developers to use an in-app payment system owned or controlled by the company as a condition of distribution or accessibility, (2) requiring , that the pricing or terms of sale in its app store are the same or more favorable than in another app store, or (3) take punitive action against a developer who uses different pricing terms or terms of sale through another in-app payment system or in used or offered by another app store."
The bill also prohibits app stores from improperly favoring or ranking their own apps (or those of their business partners)." CNBC reports that the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill, with the only no votes coming from Republican Senators John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (North Carolina). Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican senator from Utah who is on the committee, supported the bill after previously voting against an earlier version.
The bill is now awaiting a vote in the US Senate, which is currently divided equally between Democrats and Republicans. Regulating big tech companies is one of the few issues on which both factions agree, and the bill already has bipartisan support. After that, it would have to pass through the House of Representatives and would then land on President Biden's desk, who would sign it.
Sources):
Twitter | CNBC | Congress.gov
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