DOJ v Google: Why the Remedies Decision- and What Comes Next- Matters for Small App Developers
On September 23, 2025, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) hosted a panel discussion titled, “DOJ v. Google: The Remedies Decision and the Future of Search,” an event examining what Judge Amit Mehta’s recently announced remedies mean for the search market and the broader digital economy. I was privileged to join the discussion as one of the panelists in order to bring the perspective of small businesses and startups. This case, now facing potential review by the U.S. [...]
Bridging Technology Trends and Conversations in APEC Member Economies
Across the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region, member economies’ competition authorities are taking a fresh look at the role of digital platforms and curated online marketplaces (COMs) in fostering healthy, innovative ecosystems. These digital platforms and the emerging technologies they enable are indispensable to startups, scaleups, and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) seeking to scale, innovate, and compete globally. For small developers and entrepreneurs, the tools and services that digital platforms provide are critical in reducing overhead, accessing a [...]
A Scroll Down Membership Lane: September 2025’s Member Mondays
ACT | The App Association’s members drive the innovation that powers our digital world. Each month, through our Member Monday series, we spotlight these trailblazing small businesses and their cutting-edge achievements. For startups, scaleups, and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the standard-essential patent (SEP) licensing landscape can make or break their ability to develop pioneering technologies. Ensuring licensing frameworks are fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) is essential to safeguard progress, preserve competition, and unlock opportunity. In September, we featured [...]
Talk Like a Pirate; Don’t Act Like One
Every year, September 19 is official Talk Like a Pirate Day. At ACT | The App Association, we celebrate with a pirate-themed event to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding intellectual property from piracy. This year was no different. More than 170 piratical personages joined us at Hawk ‘n’ Dove for drinks, light bites, and discussions of the importance of intellectual property protection, copyright, and other policies important to our small business member companies. Our steadfast captain and [...]
Protecting Innovation in Solar: Why Standard-Essential Patent Licensing Reform Matters
At this year’s RE+ conference in Las Vegas, ACT | The App Association highlighted a challenge that solar technology innovators are only now beginning to grapple with: abusive licensing practices tied to standard-essential patents (SEPs). For years, small app developers and device makers in the communications sector have faced aggressive tactics from a handful of abusive SEP licensors who exploit their market position to demand excessive royalties or impose opaque licensing terms. Now, as solar developers increasingly adopt standardized solutions [...]
Inside the EU’s Digital Markets Act Workshops
A Developer Community Spotlight with Five Unique Startup Founders For startups, scaleups, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Digital Markets Act (DMA) isn’t just an abstract policy; it’s a daily reality. These companies operate with limited resources and rely heavily on the tools and services that platforms provide. However, despite being intimately familiar with how these platforms function and how developers build their business on them, startups and SMEs have had limited opportunities to take part in the [...]