How to Make the Digital Services Act More SME-Friendly
The European Union (EU) continues its work on the Digital Services Act (DSA) to clarify the rules for digital intermediary service providers to protect consumers and establish a clear accountability framework for online platforms. As a representative of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in the digital sector, ACT | The App Association fully supports the EU’s objectives to create safe, secure, and accessible digital spaces for business users and consumers that protect fundamental rights and encourage fair competition. [...]
New Event: Member Brunch & Learn
Join us on 24 November at 10:00 for ACT | The App Association’s first UK Brunch & Learn event! Book your spot here. If you want to meet with innovative UK and EU tech SMEs, share what your business is doing, and hear from expert speakers, this series of quarterly events are for you! In this first event, you’ll hear updates from two UK based App Association members sharing their latest projects. Our speaker will introduce standard-essential patents, a crucial corner of IP [...]
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 [...]