Epic Games lobbyists drafted legislation that could be heard in North Dakota this week, trying to ban Apple and Google-owned app stores from having a reduction in app sales, according to a report of the weekend of The New York Times.
Senate Bill 2333, presented to the North Dakota Senate last week, seeks to prevent large digital storefronts such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play from forcing developers to distribute apps exclusively through their storefronts or use their payment systems exclusively. It also seeks to prevent companies behind these showcases from punishing developers who choose other distribution or payment methods. Epic is currently involved in a legal battle over this issue, taking both Apple and Google to court following the ban on both storefronts Fortnite when Epic introduced its own method of payment last August, in protest of the 30% reduction in sales in the App Store. He Time writes that the debate on the North Dakota bill began Monday and will be voted on this week.
He Time reports that North Dakota State Sen. Kyle Davison received “the bill from Lacee Bjork Anderson, a lobbyist with Odney Public Affairs in Bismarck. Ms. Anderson said in a interview that had been hired by Epic Games, the creator of the popular game FortniteAnderson said, “She was also paid by the Coalition for App Fairness“, A non-profit organization that includes Epic Games, along with other companies like Spotify, and that search “Fair treatment by these app stores and the platform owners who operate them.”
Epic hired its first pressure groups in end of January, based on people on both sides of the political corridor. While it may seem like self-service that Epic is behind the law, the U.S. government has been studying large technological monopolies for a while. He Time reports that several states are exploring bills similar to those in North Dakota, or other measures that limit the power of these companies. Although the bill, if passed, would only apply to companies operating in North Dakota, and only to those generating more than $ 10 million in revenue, it could change the way Apple operates and their kindred. He Time writes that Apple has backed down against the legislation and that “Apple’s chief privacy engineer, Erik Neuenschwander, stated that the bill” threatens to destroy the iPhone as you know it. “
People with whom The Time they speak are uncertain whether the bill will be approved.
Even if you don’t want to deliver it to Epic, and the company certainly is making it difficult—The questions Fortnite the cases increase beyond if you can play a real cartoon battle on your phone. (If you’ve lost track: no, you still can’t.) The case, currently scheduled for trial in May, could benefit smaller developers and be a blow to Apple’s dominance over mobile apps if it goes to in favor of Epic. North Dakota legislation could be another tool in Epic’s toolkit, and another example of the company turning its desire to line its pockets moral crusade. But either way, it’s something more than simple Fortnite.