Event Recap: AppCon 2024
Each year, members of ACT | The App Association fly into DC for four days of policy education and advocacy on Capitol Hill. This year, AppCon was particularly special; it's been five years since our last full-scale and in-person conference, and the biggest one yet! With more than 50 members from 41 member companies, we brought back all the traditional elements of AppCon. This included a full briefing day on our key policy priorities, a day on the Hill meeting with congressional offices, [...]
The Booksellers’ Motion in FTC v. Amazon Highlights the FTC’s Anti-Small Business Antitrust Activity
In anticipation of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) response to the American Bookseller Association’s (ABA’s) motion to intervene in its case against Amazon today, Morgan Reed, president of ACT | The App Association, released the following statement: “The Booksellers’ motion to intervene in this case is just the latest example of how incoherent and anti-small business the FTC’s campaign against curated online marketplaces has been. “The Booksellers’ central assertion is that Amazon kept book prices too low. Of course, the [...]
Ahead of Thursday’s Scheduled Markup of the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024, ACT | The App Association Calls for Increased Protections for Small Businesses
On Thursday, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce is scheduled to markup three bills, including the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 authored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). In response to this development, Morgan Reed, President of ACT | The App Association, released the following statement: “Last week, more than 50 entrepreneurs from 30 states, all members of the App Association, sat down with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to push for [...]
Decoding SEP Licensing: A Comprehensive Guide for the IoT and AI Revolutions
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and policymakers alike often find the standard-essential patent (SEP) licensing landscape to be a difficult, dense, and confusing topic to understand. However, as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystems continue to develop a new set of standards to build on, it is crucial that stakeholders in the public and private sectors increase their understanding of SEP licensing issues. Below is a breakdown of some important SEP licensing concepts and a glossary [...]
The Four Ps of Privacy: Small Businesses’ Unified Call for a Thoughtful Federal Privacy Bill
In the absence of a national privacy law, disparate and misaligned approaches to protecting individuals' privacy continue to evolve and conflict with the most effective approaches to privacy and security that developers build. The latest privacy bill to gain momentum, the American Privacy Rights Act of 2024 (APRA), includes several familiar concepts, including consumer “rights,” a preemption provision, and a private right of action. As we evaluate the draft bill, we will be looking at it closely to determine how [...]
SME Developers Seek Clarification on DSA: A Call for Dialogue and Enhanced Protections
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) developers find themselves at a crucial juncture, navigating the complexities of the Digital Services Act (DSA). While the DSA aims to foster a safer and more reliable online environment, the MSME members of ACT | The App Association ask the European Commission (EC) for clearer guidelines and protections to ensure compliance does not inadvertently expose them to new risks. MSME perspective Our members, the driving force behind [...]