US House of Representatives also submits bill against app store monopolies
Two members of the US House of Representatives have introduced a bill to address the dominant position of Apple and Google in their app stores. It is an addition to the same bill that was introduced in the Senate this week.
The bill was introduced on Friday by a Democratic and a Republican member of the House of Representatives, Reuters news agency also reported. It follows the same bill from three US senators, who want to limit the dominant positions of tech companies such as Apple and Google in their respective app stores. That bill was tabled in the Senate on Wednesday.
Among other things, the politicians want to prevent tech companies from forcing developers to use their payment systems. The US politicians also want to require that companies that make an operating system make it possible for users to install third-party app stores.
According to the politicians, if this Open App Markets Act is passed, it should become easier for developers to introduce their own payment systems in their apps, among other things. It should also offer third-party app stores more space on mobile platforms. Android already supports such app stores, but Apple doesn’t allow it on iOS and iPadOS yet.
“Companies like Google and Apple have had a stranglehold on app developers for far too long, forced to accept the terms these monopolists set to reach their customers.” Republican Ken Buck reports that on Twitter, who tabled the proposal along with Democrat Hank Johnson on Friday.
The app store policy of large tech companies such as Apple and Google has been under fire for some time, for example by Epic Games. That company is currently involved in lawsuits against Apple and Google. Those two companies removed Fortnite from their respective app stores last year, after Epic Games incorporated its own payment system into that game to evade commissions from Apple and Google. The first hearings in the lawsuit against Apple were held in May and a ruling in that case is expected later this year.