North Dakota Senate kills bill targeting app stores
February 16, 2021 GMT
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Senate killed a bill Wednesday seeking to ban companies such as Apple and Google from requiring app developers to exclusively use their app store and payment system.
Only 11 of the chamber’s 47 senators voted in favor of the measure.
Republican Sen. Kyle Davison, of Fargo, said his bill sought to “level the playing field” against companies he called monopolies.
Davison said that a 30% fee imposed by Apple and Google on in-app purchases penalizes small app developers and limits competition.
Davison told fellow Senators Wednesday that approving the legislation would attract app developers and “unleash a new round of innovation and growth.”