Open Access, Closed Doors: How DMA Threatens Android’s AI Agent Balancing Efforts
Among the various Digital Markets Act (DMA) provisions the European Commission (Commission) is implementing, the “Interoperability” obligation is especially consequential for small business innovators. The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) has voiced concerns with unfettered open access mandates on platforms and operating systems, commenting on the associated implementation records. In the most recent implementation, the Commission has proposed extreme open access mandates on Android with respect to artificial intelligence (AI) services operating on the platform. AI agents have the [...]
Developers Reach a Port in the DMA Storm
The European Commission's ongoing implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) has produced a flood of proposals threatening the very safeguards that keep digital marketplaces and operating systems secure. For ACT members, among the most alarming are measures that would gut the access management functions major operating systems rely on to protect privacy, security, and intellectual property. Compounding the problem: opportunities to push back have been scarce, leaving critical concerns without a proper hearing. There is, however, a meaningful [...]
Startups and SMEs Take London: GAEC UK 2026
ACT’s Annual Global App Economy Conferences (GAECs) bring our startup and tech members together for three days of founder-to-founder networking and direct engagement with policymakers. GAECs are the culmination of what we do at ACT, bringing our three pillars together in one event that fosters Community, provides resources and Education, and creates an opportunity for our startup, scaleup, and small business members to engage directly in Advocacy. Throughout the year, ACT hosts three GAECs: one in the EU, one [...]
A Scroll Down Membership Lane: April 2026’s Member Mondays
ACT’s members drive the innovation that powers our digital world. Each month, through our Member Monday series, we showcase these trailblazing small businesses and their cutting-edge achievements. Behind every smart grid, EV fleet, and connected device is a dedicated team using technical standards to solve everyday problems, big and small. Yet, for startups and small tech companies, utilizing those standards isn’t straightforward. The current standard-essential patent (SEP) licensing system often overwhelms startups with unpredictable costs, opaque processes, and unbalanced [...]
Startups and SMEs Are Essential to the Digital Economy
Association for Competitive Technology Applications to Intervene in Digital Markets Act Cases Granted BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – In granting the Association for Competitive Technology’s (ACT) application to intervene in Case T-438/25, Case T-352/24, and T-359/25, collectively Apple Inc. v. European Commission, the General Court of the European Union has acknowledged the concerns of ACT’s members, European startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Commenting on the Court’s order confirming that ACT meets the legal requirements to intervene in the cases [...]