Apple Slams Revived US Antitrust Bill as 'European-Style Regulation'

United States Senators Chuck Grassley and Amy Klobuchar have reintroduced the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at the business practices of the largest digital platforms. The legislation is designed to prevent these companies from favoring their own services, locking users into default settings, or restricting access to key platform features.



The bill is a revised version of AICOA, which was previously introduced in Congress but never received a final floor vote. It specifically applies to platforms generating at least $175 billion in average annual gross revenue that reach either 34 percent of American subscriber households or 34 percent of monthly active users over the age of 12. Apple would likely fall within the bill's scope under these thresholds. If passed, the legislation empowers the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general to challenge discriminatory or exclusionary conduct through civil actions in federal court.


Under the proposed rules, covered platforms face new restrictions on conduct that lawmakers say can harm competition. It becomes unlawful to unfairly preference in-house products or condition platform access on the purchase of unrelated services. The bill also prevents companies from misusing nonpublic business data to compete against smaller rivals, blocking data portability, or skewing search rankings. Several provisions could affect how Apple operates the App Store and other parts of its ecosystem, areas that have faced scrutiny from regulators and competitors. The proposal arrives as Apple continues to face antitrust scrutiny over App Store policies, including its ongoing legal dispute with Epic Games over in-app payments and third-party competition.

Lawmakers also included provisions to stop platforms from retaliating against users or businesses that raise legal concerns. The legislation has already garnered endorsements from a broad coalition of tech companies and developers who have historically criticized Apple's ecosystem constraints. Companies backing the bill include Yelp, DuckDuckGo, Proton, and Mozilla. Replit is also among the bill's supporters. The company previously criticized Apple's App Store review process during a public dispute that was later resolved.

Apple strongly opposes the legislation, arguing that it threatens the fundamental security of its devices. In a statement provided to MacRumors, the company criticized the proposal as an attempt to import foreign regulatory frameworks into the United States.

"We strongly disagree with the Senate's consideration of European-style regulation that would hamper innovation and force changes consumers never asked for, while undermining the privacy, security and child safety protections they rely on every day," an Apple spokesperson said. "Apple is proud to be an engine of innovation, job creation, and economic growth in the U.S., where some of the world's most innovative companies have designed technology that has changed the world. Importing Europe's failed policies will not increase competition — it will make it more difficult to do business right here at home."


To address industry warnings about compromised device security, the bill incorporates several specific legal defenses. Companies can defend their actions by proving by clear and convincing evidence that the conduct was necessary to protect user privacy, prevent fraud, or maintain platform cybersecurity. The text explicitly states that platforms will not be forced to share data with foreign adversaries, disclose trade secrets, or license intellectual property. Furthermore, the legislation does not grant government agencies the authority to dictate product design or interfere with artificial intelligence development.