Washington, DC—Today, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Open App Markets Act, which would prohibit anti-competitive practices and increase consumer choice and competition in the mobile app ecosystem, which is dominated by Google and Apple. Gene Burrus, Global Policy Counsel for The Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), released the following statement:
“CAF commends Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal for introducing the Open App Markets Act and Senators Lee and Klobuchar for co-sponsoring the bill. This groundbreaking, bipartisan legislation will open up Apple and Google’s mobile walled gardens to long-overdue competition. By banning harmful and anti-competitive practices, the bill would lead to lower prices and more choice in how apps are accessed and distributed.
Thanks to a recent court decision, U.S. consumers are already benefiting from app developers offering alternative ways to make purchases. But legislation is needed to fully unlock the potential of the mobile app economy and unleash a competitive marketplace that benefits users and developers alike. We are grateful to Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal for their enduring leadership on these issues, and we encourage swift passage of this vital bill.”
The Open App Markets Act’s introduction comes shortly after the introduction of the App Store Freedom Act by Rep. Kat Cammack. It also follows a landmark U.S. Federal District Court ruling, requiring Apple to allow developers to point customers to their own websites to make purchases.
###
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.