Congress Should Study EU Regulation, Expert Says After Apple Win

Apple’s recent victory before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could renew efforts to regulate dominant app store owners (see 2304250055), but Congress shouldn’t rush legislation without fully understanding the consumer implications, said Jeffrey Westling, American Action Forum director-technology and innovation, Wednesday. Some lawmakers cited Apple’s App Store “exclusivity and fees as examples of anticompetitive practices that should be outlawed regardless of any pro-consumer benefits,” said Westling. He noted calls for passage of the Open App Markets Act after the 9th Circuit decision. Congress “would benefit from more data about the relative costs and benefits of such reforms, which it could glean from Europe’s own recently enacted legislation to regulate practices it deems anticompetitive,” he said.