BLOOMBERG REPORTS..
Spotify Technology SA has recruited Regan Smith to be its head of public policy and government affairs as the company wages its fight with Apple Inc. over competition.
Smith most recently served as general counsel and associate register of copyrights at the U.S. Copyright Office in Washington. She turned over the top legal role there last month to acting general counsel Kevin Amer.
Spotify, a podcasting and music streaming platform with its roots in Sweden, adds Smith to a legal and public policy team led by chief legal officer and head of global affairs Horacio Gutierrez, hired by the company in 2016 from Microsoft Corp.
Spotify has accused Apple of anti-competitive practices, claiming that rules by Apple’s App Store disadvantage those trying to access its services. Spotify and Apple are competitors in the increasingly crowded audio media space.
A new bill currently before the U.S. Senate would create new rules that could erode the digital marketplace dominance enjoyed by Apple and Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
Tom Manatos, Spotify’s vice president of government relations, referred a request for comment about Smith to the company’s public relations department, which confirmed the hire. Spotify and Smith declined to discuss her new position.
Smith updated her LinkedIn profile this month to show her public policy and government affairs job at Spotify, which is a newly created role at the company.
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