The North Dakota Parliament has voted against a bill that forces Apple to bypass the App Store for developers and users to pay and download apps.
With 11-36 votes on Tuesday, North Dakota lawmakers rejected the law first drafted by Epic Games lobbyists. Lobbyist Lacee Bjork Anderson also received payment from the Coalition for App Fairness.
Prior to voting, Anderson admitted that the bill may not have passed.According to the North Dakota Senate Floor calendar, The bill was listed as “not passing” according to the Commission’s recommendations.
Even if the bill fails in North Dakota, the dispute over app store rules isn’t over yet. New York Times Legislators in Georgia and Arizona report that they are considering about the same law. Massachusetts state legislators say they are considering introducing a similar bill, and Wisconsin and Minnesota are pushing for app store legislation.
The law is only part of a broader battle for control of the mobile app ecosystem. For example, Apple and Epic Games are in the midst of a controversy over violations of developer guidelines, resulting in the removal of Fortnite from the App Store.
The court battle between Apple and Epic Games will be brought to trial in the US District Court for California on May 3, 2021.
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