ACT and Ukraine: Related in more ways than one
One month from today I was supposed to board a plane, fly to Ukraine, and serve as an education volunteer through the Peace Corps for 27 months – but instead I’m at ACT. Plans change pretty quickly when your future host country turns into a hotbed of political dispute, and you end up loving your summer internship. Six months ago I couldn’t have predicted where I’d be now, but my new job as ACT’s communications assistant is exactly the right [...]
ACT member: Digital first-sale would kill innovation
Our friend and ACT member Scott Stanfield raised concerns about the expansion of first-sale doctrine at a roundtable discussion hosted by the PTO last week in Berkeley, CA. Scott is the CEO of the California-based company, Vertigo Software, which employs more than 60 people. Foremost among the issues he raised is the unsustainability of an app marketplace where a “used” copy could sell for a tenth of the price of an identical new app. His remarks clearly explained the devastating impact this would have on app makers, which we’ve [...]
The launch countdown has begun
September is nearing which means the tech world is eagerly awaiting the debut of Apple’s newest mobile devices. Speculation mounts as the date draws near, and through the clutter of speculation and rumor has emerged the date of the unveiling: Tuesday, September 9, courtesy of re/code’s John Paczkowski. And this year, there’s one thing we’re particularly excited about – and it has nothing to do with how big the screen might be. It's how people will use the new devices. [...]
Developers: Changes coming to Apple’s Gatekeeper
Apple’s malware thwarting Gatekeeper launched more than two years ago, coinciding with the release of OS X Mountain Lion. Gatekeeper gives users control over what kinds of apps are installed on a computer, with the default allowing only Mac App Store apps from identified developers. While a user can easily choose to disable the setting, the default is the best way to protect against malware since Apple reviews each app before it’s accepted into the store, and can remove any problematic [...]
FDA draft guidance offers clarity for mobile medical apps
ACT executive director Morgan Reed issued the following statement today in response to the FDA’s draft guidance that would exempt many low risk medical apps and devices from FDA review: Today's draft guidance continues the FDA's strong push towards innovation-friendly policies. This clarification will help provide a clearer path for new entrants to the field. Health app makers continue to seek more clarity and simplification from the FDA and welcome today’s efforts to minimize the obstacles they face bringing new [...]
App Industry Under Threat from Today’s Court Decision
ACT | The App Association issued the following statement today in response to the District Court ruling that requires Microsoft to provide federal investigators access to email communications stored overseas. “It is clear from today’s actions that the court is out of step with global privacy concerns,” said ACT President Jonathan Zuck. “This has the potential to undermine the mobile app industry for which the cloud is critical." "Consumers and business customers around the world are questioning whether data stored [...]