Latest Actions by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Squires Weaken the Certainty in the U.S. IP System that Small Businesses Need
WASHINGTON - ACT | The App Association expresses serious concern regarding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) recently released Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) inter partes review (IPR) procedures and related policy changes, and USPTO Director John Squires announcement today that he will make all decisions regarding institution of proceedings. The NPRM and Director’s announcement, would impose restrictions that undermine a vital mechanism created by Congress to safeguard patent quality [...]
Addressing Digital Trade Barriers Across the Asia-Pacific Region
This year has seen major shifts in U.S. trade policy, and those issues have risen to the top of the agenda for many. Within that bigger picture, digital trade specifically is a key focus. At ACT | The App Association, we’re deeply involved in advocating for digital trade, but it’s not something developers, users, or consumers think about every day. The key question is: why does digital trade matter so much to the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) [...]
State of Confusion: How a Patchwork of AI Laws Hurts Small Businesses and U.S. Competitiveness
updated October 30, 2025 Earlier this year, Congress considered including a temporary moratorium on state artificial intelligence (AI) laws in the federal reconciliation package, but the provision was ultimately dropped. The question of federal AI lawmaking, however, remains an active and important issue. In the absence of a clear federal framework, states are advancing their own AI laws, raising the risk of a fragmented regulatory landscape that could slow innovation and place disproportionate burdens on small businesses developing or adopting AI tools. [...]
ACT | App Association Releases Survey on The Extent of Transatlantic AI Gap and Impact of UK/EU Regulations
EU-style Tech Regulations Set Back UK and European Startups and SMEs from their US counterparts, New Survey Finds Today, ACT | The App Association released new survey results detailing how tech policy and regulations on both sides of the Atlantic are impacting startups and small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United States compared to those in the European Union and United Kingdom. The online survey, conducted by Technometrica, polled a total of over 1,000 SMEs on their opinions and [...]
Is the FTC Using Dark Patterns to Pursue Dark Patterns?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act has long provided a flexible consumer protection framework. The law generally empowers the FTC to challenge net-harmful conduct while giving trade practices that benefit consumers the green light. In tech markets, this tends to fit well because it typically stops the Commission from outlawing newer products and services before their benefits or risks are fully understood. However, regardless of the party in power, the FTC occasionally gets unhelpfully creative with the levers at [...]
ACT | The App Association Proposes Five Reforms in Comments to UKIPO’s Consultation on Fair SEP Licensing
LONDON, UK – ACT | The App Association welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on standard-essential patent (SEPs) licensing issues that impact the small business innovator community and needed policy changes to address them. Technical standards underpin the internet of things (IoT) ecosystem which is expected to generate £4.1-9.3 trillion for the global economy by 2030. To utilise standards, small technology developers must have certainty that they can license patented technologies [...]