Senators introduce bipartisan bill to curb Apple and Google app stores

A bipartisan trio of senators have introduced a bill that would curb the app stores of companies they say have too much control over the market, including Apple and Alphabet Inc.’s Google.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota partnered with Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee to sponsor the bill, which would prevent large app stores from forcing app providers to use their system of payment. It would also prohibit them from punishing apps that offer different prices or terms through another app store or payment system.

“I found this predatory abuse of Apple and Google so deeply offensive on so many levels,” Blumenthal said in an interview Wednesday. “Their power has reached a point where they are impacting the entire economy by stifling and stifling innovation.”

Blumenthal said he expected additional legislation in the House of Representatives “very soon”.

The stakes are high for Apple, whose App Store anchors its services business at $ 53.8 billion as the smartphone market matures.

Apple said its app store was “an unprecedented engine of economic growth and innovation, which now supports more than 2.1 million jobs in all 50 states.”

Google declined to comment, but a spokesperson cited earlier statements from the company that Android devices often come preloaded with two or more app stores and that app sellers can allow downloads without using the Play. Google Store.

Bill received high praise from Spotify, creator of “Fortnite” Epic Games and Tile. Tile, which makes beacons to find lost items, complained earlier this year about the launch of a competing product by Apple.

A similar legislative review has been introduced in South Korea. Google said last year that it would apply certain in-app payment methods to it and that it would collect 30% commissions on non-gaming digital content.

Apple’s control over apps in its Store and the 15-30% commissions on digital sales have come under regulatory review. Federal judge reviews testimony to rule on Epic Games antitrust lawsuit.

Epic also sued Google for its app store practices, as did a large group of state attorneys general alleging it had illegally worked to maintain a monopoly on its Android phone app store.