Bipartisan House Bill Looks To Target Apple & Google
A bipartisan bill was introduced in the House on Friday that would potentially bar big app stores from requiring providers to use alternate app stores and payment systems.
The bill was presented by Reps. Ken Buck, R-Co., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga. who seek to reign in powerful companies like Apple and Google, Reuters reports.
“For too long, companies like Google and Apple have had a stranglehold on app developers who are forced to take whatever terms these monopolists set in order to reach their customers,” Buck said.
American consumers spent nearly $33 billion last year in app stores and downloaded 13.4 billion apps. The stakes are high for Apple as its app store anchors $53.8 billion of its service businesses.
Apple has defended its app store calling it “an unprecedented engine of economic growth and innovation.” Today, the app store has employed over 2 million people across the U.S.
The House Judiciary Committee passed six anti-trust measures in June, most of them targeted Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
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