Supporting Industry Mechanisms Against Illicit Activity
On October 3, 2023, the App Association participated in the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) annual Roundtable on Future Strategies for Anti-counterfeiting and Anti-piracy. At this event, the App Association represented the perspective of our small business software developer community that benefits from cost-effective online mechanisms to protect their intellectual property (IP)-related products. App Association members have for some time been supported by protections provided by digital software platforms and important technical protection measures (TPMs). Congress passed the [...]
Developing a National Standards Initiative That Supports U.S. Participation and Leadership in Technical Standards
The International Trade Administration (ITA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (the “Agencies”) have spearheaded a national initiative to strengthen U.S. stakeholder participation and leadership in international voluntary, consensus-based, open-participation technology standards. The Agencies’ initiative includes providing support for the goals outlined in the U.S. Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET). ACT | The App Association supports the Agencies’ mission to introduce a reliable, fair, [...]
ACTivists for Change: R&D Tax Credits
Earlier this year, we highlighted the pivotal role that research and development (R&D) plays in expanding the app economy and outlined how an aspect of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act severely challenged entrepreneurs' ability to immediately deduct full R&D expenses. Instead, business owners are now required to amortize these expenses over a five year period. The consequences this change in the law has for business operations produced an urgent need to provide relief through the repeal of the [...]
ACT Hosts Two Hill Briefings on November 13
ACT | The App Association has two events going on this Wednesday! We want to make sure that you have all the information on the way policies can affect small businesses, especially in the app economy. Two of the biggest areas of interest for our member companies are generative artificial intelligence (GAI) and its intersections with copyright and distribution through app stores and other publishers. Join us at our events! On Wednesday, November 15, we are hosting two separate Hill [...]
The Effort to De-Democratize Tech Entrepreneurship Goes Global
We breathed a collective sigh of relief when the door slammed shut last year on efforts to pass the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) in the 117th Congress. But those funding the advocacy for those bills simply shifted their efforts to what they hoped would be a more receptive audience: U.S. trade negotiators. Unfortunately, while all of this is aimed at Big Tech, small businesses in the app economy would be hit hardest. The antitrust advocates have had [...]