Senators Introduce Bipartisan Antitrust Legislation to Promote App Store Competition

Sens Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the Open App Markets Act, which would set fair, clear, and enforceable rules to protect competition and strengthen consumer protections within the app market. Two companies, Google and Apple, have gatekeeper control of the two dominant mobile operating systems and their app stores that allow them to exclusively dictate the terms of the app market, inhibiting competition and restricting consumer choice. The Open App Markets Act would:

• Protect developers’ rights to tell consumers about lower prices and offer competitive pricing;
• Protect sideloading of apps;
• Open up competitive avenues for startup apps, third-party app stores, and payment services;
• Make it possible for developers to offer new experiences that take advantage of consumer device features;
• Give consumers more control over their devices;
• Prevent app stores from disadvantaging developers; and
• Set safeguards to continue to protect privacy, security, and safety of consumers.