Bipartisan Legislation Would Bring Competition to Digital Marketplace
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF) released research conducted by ClearPath Strategies showing nearly 90 percent of app developers surveyed would support passage of targeted legislation aimed at prohibiting anti-competitive or self-preferencing practices in the App Store and other dominant platforms, such as the Open App Markets Act (OAMA). This bipartisan and bicameral legislation is currently pending in Congress and is scheduled to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee later this week.
“As developers learn about the Open App Markets Act, there is overwhelming support for an app ecosystem where barriers are removed and they have the opportunity to innovate,” said David Bluestone, Founder and Partner of ClearPath Strategies. “What’s exciting about this bipartisan legislation is smaller, independent developer entrepreneurs can clearly see benefits. Based on the research, they believe this legislation will help them create better products for customers and hire more developers for their companies.”
“The evidence is clear – app developers want the Open App Markets Act to pass so that they can have the opportunity to compete in a fair digital marketplace,” said Meghan DiMuzio, Executive Director for the Coalition for App Fairness. “For too long, developers have been harmed by gatekeepers’ monopolistic practices, and consumers have suffered from less choice and innovation. We applaud Congress’ leadership on this issue to date and continue to urge members of Congress to act quickly to ensure a fair and competitive marketplace.”
More about the survey:
App developers surveyed stated the Open App Markets Act would create more competition and opportunities for innovation and growth in the online digital marketplace.
Key findings of the survey include:
- 86 percent of developers say there is a need for legislation prohibiting anti-competitive or self-preferencing practices in the app marketplace. The Open App Markets Act reflects the overwhelming agreement among app developers for reforms to the digital marketplace.
- The largest barriers to getting apps to consumers are app marketplace requirements. Half of the developers surveyed describe app store requirements as a massive barrier to entry for smaller ventures, larger than marketing or even technical design.
- Developers say OAMA will help foster innovation, increase revenue for small and new businesses, lead to more hiring at higher wages, and establish a favorable app development industry in the U.S. compared to other countries.
Methodology:
- On behalf of the Coalition for App Fairness, ClearPath Strategies conducted an online survey December 2021 – January 2022 of 190 app developers in AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, MN, NC, NY, TN, TX, and UT.
- The survey’s margin of error is +/- 7.11 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence interval.
View more key findings from the survey here.
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About the Coalition for App Fairness
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 Tile, CAF has rapidly grown from 13 to over 60 members since launching in September 2020. CAF offers membership to companies of any size — join today at appfairness.org.
CAF Contact
Rick VanMeter
[email protected]