Illinois State Capitol - Image via VisitSpringfiledIllinois.com
It looks like the Coalition for App Fairness is back to playing its state-by-state game. Last year, members of that organization backed legislation in Arizona, Minnesota, and North Dakota seeking to mandate the acceptance of third-party payment options for apps in Apple’s App Store as well as the Google Play Store. Apple and Google lobbied against each of those pushes, and Apple and Google prevailed. Now, a piece from Cult of Mac says David Heinemeier-Hansson is backing a bill in Illinois that’s looking to try again. Heinemeier-Hansson is the CEO of Basecamp, a member of the Coalition for App Fairness.
According to the Cult, the “Freedom to Subscribe Directly Act” wants Illinois lawmakers “to prohibit both companies [Apple and Google] from requiring developers to use the App Store and Google Play to sell software and subscriptions.” The piece says:
It also looks to prohibit retaliation against a developer or user “for using an in-application payment system or digital application distribution platform that is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with” Apple or Google.
No word on next steps for the proposed legislation.
