ACT Member, Sebastian Holst, Brings App Developer Perspective on Innovation and IP
This week, Sebastian Holst, Executive VP of PreEmptive Solutions and member of ACT, testified before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Intellectual Property at a hearing on “The Rise of Innovative Business Models: Content Delivery in the Digital Age.” As the only software developer on the panel, Mr. Holst's perspective was of particular interest to the Subcommittee members. Unlike the think tanks, CEOs of major companies, or industry reps, Mr. Holst is a software developer or content creator, a business owner, a [...]
Startups and App Companies Applaud Committee Passage of Patent Troll Bill
ACT, the largest association of startups and mobile app companies, praised today’s congressional action to protect small business innovation from predatory patent litigation. Today’s House Judiciary Committee passage of the Innovation Act addresses the growing threat of patent trolls. These entities threaten small technology companies with patent litigation without identifying the patent holder or what patent was allegedly infringed. Small businesses find it less expensive and burdensome to pay several thousand dollars for a license fee instead of challenging these [...]
Why ITC Patent Actions Have a Critical Impact
The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) have been in the news a lot the past few months regarding Apple and Samsung. While most know that Apple and Samsung have been fighting over patents, not everyone is familiar with the ways the ITC, USTR, and White House are getting involved, and why. Why is this Going Through the ITC? Companies seeking to enforce their patent rights can bring a case at the ITC, [...]
ACT Applauds New FCC Commissioners
Association for Competitive Technology Executive Director Morgan Reed issued the following statement applauding today's appointments that bring the Federal Communications Commission to full strength. We congratulate Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioner Michael O’Rielly on their appointments today. They join the Commission during a remarkable period of innovation in telecommunications. Over the past decade, we have witnessed how incredible growth in the mobile marketplace is changing the way Americans care for their health, teach their children, conduct business, and consume entertainment. [...]
ACT Launches Second Phase of NTIA Mobile Transparency Code of Conduct
ACT today announced the second phase of testing for the NTIA Multi-Stakeholder Mobile Application Transparency Code of Conduct. Following the Code's drafting process, the user testing phase will reveal the most effective methods to convey privacy information to users of mobile devices. This comes after input from industry leaders in user testing, design and privacy. With support from Apple, Facebook, BlackBerry, TRUSTe, and Flurry, the next phase of user testing will be led by Innovator's Network, which helped design multiple [...]
Letter to House Judiciary Chairman and Ranking Member from ACT | The App Association members on CBM provision of Innovation Act
Fifteen ACT | The App Association members explain their strong concerns with the covered business method (CBM) provisions of the Innovation Act. [pl_button type="info" link="http://actonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Letter-Re-Extension-of-CBM-Patent-Post-Grant-Review-2-copy.pdf" target="blank"]Read Full Letter[/pl_button]