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Apple (AAPL) successfully lobbied the state legislature in North Dakota, meaning that the bill that would have ended one of Apple's most profitable business models is safe.

Meanwhile, in Australia, Google (GOOG, GOOGL) has agreed to start paying a couple of large publishers to surface their content ahead of a vote by Australian legislators on the country's News Media Bargaining Code law, which would require big tech to pay for big content.

In Cologne, Germany, Ford Europe (F) is going all in on EVs, saying that 100 percent of its passenger vehicles will be zero-emission by 2026 and 100 percent electrical by 2030.

Amazon (AMZN) makes an acquisition.

Finally, in Utah, the state government is launching a COVID contract tracing app built on the Apple/Google exposure notification system. Who has been exposed? Who has been vaccinated? Who hasn't? Big questions for a big news day.

See more on each news story below...

Apple won’t have to allow App Store alternatives on iOS after North Dakota bill fails

A North Dakota bill that would have drastically altered the way app store operators like Apple and Google manage their digital marketplaces has failed to garner enough votes, failing in the state senate by an 11-36 vote on Tuesday, according to North Dakota House of Representatives member Karla Rose Hanson.

The bill, SB 2333, stirred considerable controversy last week when a committee hearing drew the attention of corporate lawyers and lobbyists, experts, and Apple critics arguing both in favor and against the proposed legislation’s potentially far-reaching consequences.

The bill would have barred any company in the business of software distribution making over $10 million in annual revenue from imposing rules on developers dictating they only use one app store, like the App Store or the Google Play Store, and that they have to use the app store owner’s preferred payment system. Using Apple or Google’s payment system, in turn, lets those companies take 30 percent of most sales, per their long-standing revenue sharing policies around app sales and in-app purchases.

 

Read more on The Verge

Google inks landmark agreements with Australian media giants

The deals Google is cutting in Australia could change how it treats news outlets around the world.

Google and Facebook are taking strikingly different approaches to a proposed Australian legal measure that would require them to pay publishers for using their content.  

On Wednesday, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. signed a three-year agreement to be paid by Google for its news content. It follows an earlier deal with Seven West and an expected deal with Nine Entertainment, both Australian media behemoths. The deals are designed to help Google comply with a proposed Australian law that could potentially require it to pay for articles surfaced by its search engine.

 

On the same day, Facebook said it would prevent Australian publishers and users from sharing news stories on the social network. 

"The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content," William Easton, who runs Facebook's Australia and New Zealand operations, wrote in a blog post. "It has left us facing a stark choice: attempt to comply with a law that ignores the realities of this relationship, or stop allowing news content on our services in Australia. With a heavy heart, we are choosing the latter."

Read more on CNET

Ford will only sell electrified vehicles in Europe by 2030

Ford is taking an aggressive approach to its electrification strategy in Europe, announcing that all its passenger vehicles will be all-electric or hybrid by mid-2026. All of its consumer vehicles will be fully electric by 2030, meaning Ford will have one of the most aggressive EV roadmaps of any European automaker. On the commercial side, the company plans to have plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or all-electric vehicles in two-thirds of its lineup by 2030.

As part of that process, Ford will invest $1 billion into its assembly plant in Cologne, Germany, allowing it to produce an all-electric model in two years. That's part of the company's recently announced $29 billion global investment in electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025. "We are charging into an all-electric future in Europe," said Ford of Europe president Stuart Rowley.

 

Read more on Engadget

Amazon acquires Selz, a Shopify competitor that helps small businesses build online stores

Amazon has bought Selz, a company that makes tools to help businesses launch their own online stores.

Amazon quietly acquired the e-commerce platform on Jan. 15, but it didn’t publicize the acquisition. Selz announced the deal in a company blog post. 

“We have signed an agreement to be acquired by Amazon and are looking forward to working with them as we continue to build easy-to-use tools for entrepreneurs,” Martin Rushe, CEO and founder of Selz, said in the blog post.

An Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the acquisition. The spokeswoman declined to disclose the terms of the deal. Representatives from Selz didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Read more at CNBC.

Utah Launching COVID-19 Contact Tracing System With Apple and Google API This Week

Utah will officially launch a COVID-19 contact tracing system based on Apple and Google's exposure notification API on Wednesday, according to a press release by the State's health department.

The system will utilize Apple and Google's exposure notification system, which notifies users with the feature enabled if they've come in contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. Utah is notably one of the few states that initially rejected using the system, and instead opted to use its own system based on less accurate and private GPS and Bluetooth tracking.

Utah's director for the Department of Health Center for Health and Informatics says that contact tracing will enable the state to better manage the pandemic and the outbreak of the virus.

Read more at MacRumors.