WASHINGTON, D.C. – In an amicus brief submitted during the Google Search antitrust case, ACT | The App Association detailed unintended and deleterious outcomes for small and medium-sized tech businesses from the proposed remedies from the U.S. Department of Justice and the State of Colorado:

  1. Proposed Remedies Will Create Uncertainty for App Developers and Disrupt Ongoing Business Relationships
    Small app developers have built their successful businesses on top of the technical specifications and tools provided by the Google Play store, the Chrome Web Store, and other Google products. The forced divestiture of these products would require each app developer to maintain relationships with multiple providers, with multiple technical specifications and compliance rules, driving up overhead costs which many will not be able to afford.
  2. Proposed Notification Requirements Stifle Innovation in Emerging Technology Markets and Impede Acquisitions of Small App Developers
    The additional notification requirements impose substantial costs on small app developers and nascent technology startups in the generative AI (GAI) field. Acquisition is often a strong motivator for product development. But in a rapidly innovating field such as AI, the addition of expensive and slow-to-resolve notification requirements would kill deals and stifle innovation.

“Our members have a strong interest in ensuring the antitrust laws are properly applied to the mobile ecosystem to promote competition and increase economic activity” said App Association President Morgan Reed. “The proposed remedies, if ordered, would disrupt the technical and commercial relationships between thousands of small app developers and Google, increasing costs and draining resources for innovation. We urge the court to right size the remedies to focus on the specific findings of the case and reject any that would cause broader disruption to the mobile ecosystem.”

For more on the negative impact of the proposed remedies read the full brief: Amicus-Curiae-Brief-of-Act-the-App-Association.pdf

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