Does Off-the-Shelf Mean Off the Hook? Do Off-the-Shelf IoT Solutions Require a Licence for Standard-Essential Patents?
Commercially available off-the-shelf solutions for internet of things (IoT) applications are ready made internet-connected sensors that offer a convenient way for businesses to make their products smarter and more efficient. Let’s say a company makes irons, and they want to alert their customers on their smartphones when the iron is not shut off after use. They can purchase ready-to-use timers and temperature sensors, as well as a wireless connectivity module, and integrate them into the iron. The result is a [...]
ACT | The App Association Supports New Direction on U.S. Standard-Essential Patent Policy
Today, ACT | The App Association released a statement regarding speeches made by Rebecca Slaughter, commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and Jennifer Dixton of the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ) at the American National Standards Institute: “The remarks from Commissioner Slaughter and Ms. Dixton are welcome signals that reaffirm the role antitrust law has in standards setting. We applaud Commissioner Slaughter for stating the FTC should investigate violations and focus enforcement where smaller enterprises face [...]
What Does the UK’s 2021 Autumn Budget and Spending Review Mean for App Makers and Device Manufacturers?
On 27 October, the United Kingdom’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced the autumn Budget and spending review. This budget review sets out the British government’s spending plans for each department for the next three years. This year’s statement includes a range of investments in the tech ecosystem, such as digital skills, research and development (R&D), and digital health. We looked into the Budget to see what it means for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly app makers and [...]
App Makers Tour of Europe – Spain
On 13 October, ACT | The App Association hosted a webinar on the impact of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in Spain. The event brought together app developers, policymakers, and academics to discuss the realities of the Spanish tech ecosystem and develop solutions as a community of innovators. The panel was composed of: Javier Domínguez Viera, Senior Advisor, Deputy Directorate-General for Better Regulation, Business Support and Competition at Directorate General for Economic Policy, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation [...]
App Developers Need to Pay Attention to the FTC’s New Direction on Health Privacy
On September 15, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) held an understatedly crucial open meeting, the third under the tenure of its new chairwoman, Lina Khan. During the meeting, FTC Commissioners voted 3-2 to adopt a policy statement affirming that health apps and connected devices that collect or use consumers’ health information must comply with the Health Breach Notification Rule. As a bit of background, the FTC originally implemented its Health Breach Notification Rule in September 2009, which [...]
Return of the M.A.C. (Mini AppCon) and Infrastructure Week
As you probably heard, virtual AppCon’21 returned in September, and this M.A.C. (Mini AppCon) focused on infrastructure and federal programs supporting broadband deployment. As a quick reminder, our first M.A.C. of 2021 covered all things connected health and pandemic response and M.A.C. 2 addressed issues around competition and standard-essential patents (SEPs). Those M.A.C.s took place earlier this year, and you can read all about them here. Infrastructure Week Americans depend on the internet to access healthcare services, education opportunities, and [...]