Statement from Morgan Reed, President of ACT | The App Association, on App Association’s Amicus Brief in Epic v. Google

ACT | The App Association submitted an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting a stay of the district court’s injunction in Epic v. Google. The App Association represents small technology companies and app developers who depend on trusted, curated online marketplaces to reach consumers worldwide.

“The trial court’s remedy is a dangerous overreach that threatens the very small and medium-sized businesses it claims to protect,” said Morgan Reed, president of ACT | The App Association. “By forcing developers into business with unvetted, knock-off app stores, the court’s order creates real security risks, undermines developers’ intellectual property rights, and disrupts the healthy competition that already exists between Apple, Google, Samsung, and others. Small developers cannot afford the compliance costs or reputational harm that will come from this unprecedented intrusion into their businesses.”

As listed in the amicus brief, the App Association argues the district court’s remedy, if implemented, would:

• Create security risks by pushing apps onto hundreds of knock-off stores, many of which lack resources to prevent malware, spyware, and fraud,
• Violate developers’ rights by defaulting them into commercial relationships they did not consent to, inverting basic intellectual property and contractual protections,
• Distort competition by weakening the proven rivalry between Google Play and Apple’s App Store in favor of fragmented, less secure alternatives, and
• Undermine predictability by forcing developers to adapt to unstable rules that may be reversed on review, causing disruption and unnecessary compliance costs.

Preserving stability through a stay is in the public interest, ensuring that any remedies are fully vetted before reshaping the app ecosystem in ways that could devastate small businesses. The App Association, on behalf of its members, will continue to advocate for a remedy that protects small app developers’ access to a trusted app store with a global reach.

About ACT | The App Association & Members

The App Association is a global trade association for small and medium-sized technology companies. Our members are entrepreneurs, innovators, and independent developers within the global app ecosystem that engage with verticals across every industry. We work with and for our members to promote a policy environment that rewards and inspires innovation while providing resources that help them raise capital, create jobs, and continue to build incredible technology.

For more information, please visit www.actonline.org.