US senators reintroduce bill to open Apple and Google’s app stores

Senators Marsha Blacburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-minn.) Dick Durbin (D-ill.) And Mike Lee (R-Utah) reintroduces an invoice This would force App Store owners like Apple and Google to allow third -party payment systems and key download applications, among a collection of other user -friendly modifications. The bill, called the Application of open application marketswas Originally introduced in 2021But he never came for a vote after passing through The Senate Judicial Committee in 2022.

The Open App Markets Act applies its modifications to application stores with 50,000 monthly or more users, the most obviously applicable to the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Like the bill of origin, the reintroduced open application law law wants the covered companies to allow things such as the high of the key, third -party application stores and alternative payment systems, while protecting the capacity of developers to “inform consumers of lower prices and offer competitive prices”. This would also prevent App Store operators from favoring their own applications and services in the research results of the App Store.

While the objectives of the new bill are largely the same like the originalThe legal environment is significantly different. Apple was forced to Authorize third -party application stores and alternative payment systems in the European Union after the introduction of Digital market act in 2022. Thanks to His failure to do good On the small concession Epic won via his trialApple has also been forced to allow developers to direct customers to pay things outside the App Store and its payment system in the application. The law on open applications markets would provide this type of change in the United States.

It seems that the bill can also adopt. The regulatory pressure on technological companies has only increased since 2021. For example, UTAH has recently adopted A law on age verification This would require application stores to allow users only 18 and more to create an account.