Washington, DC—Today, Representative Kat Cammack (R-FL) introduced the App Store Freedom Act, which would outlaw anti-competitive practices in mobile app stores, which are dominated by Google and Apple. Gene Burrus, Global Policy Counsel for The Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), released the following statement:
“CAF applauds Congresswoman Cammack for introducing the App Store Freedom Act, legislation that will establish a fair and competitive mobile app marketplace. This is a vital step towards empowering developers and consumers by ensuring a level playing field for all participants in the app ecosystem.
Representative Cammack’s bill would end Apple and Google’s anti-competitive app store practices and give consumers choice in how they access apps and alternative payment options with lower prices in their mobile devices. The legislation would unlock the full potential of the app economy: a vibrant marketplace where both developers and consumers thrive. We thank Rep. Cammack for introducing this bill and encourage strong bipartisan support and swift passage in the House.”
The App Store Freedom Act’s introduction comes on the heels of a landmark U.S. Federal District Court ruling. The Judge found Apple was in contempt of a prior court order that required Apple to allow developers to point customers to their own websites to make purchases and access lower prices. On April 23, the European Commission fined Apple for similar conduct that violated the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. The App Store Freedom Act targets similar anti-competitive behavior as the Open App Markets Act, legislation that was introduced in the 117th Congress.
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The Coalition for App Fairness is an independent nonprofit organization formed to protect consumer choice, foster competition, and create a level playing field for all app and game developers globally. Originally formed by Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, Epic Games, the European Publishers Council, Match Group, News Media Europe, Prepear, Proton, Skydemon, Spotify, and Life360, CAF has rapidly grown from 13 to 80 members since launching in September 2020. CAF offers membership to companies of any size — join today at appfairness.org.