The developer advocate cautions against the unintended, negative international effect of the analysis’s extraterritorial reach.
Brussels, March 15, 2022 – The Developers Alliance has submitted comments to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concerning its current market study into mobile ecosystems.
The comments are in response to the consultation on the interim report. The study was launched in June 2021. At that time, Developers Alliance provided its contribution to the first phase of the consultation. They also submitted their comments on the initial findings and the potential interventions proposed in the interim report.
In their submission, the Developers Alliance acknowledges CMA’s decision not to make a market investigation reference. They then strongly encourage further consideration of the potential risks and increased costs from interventions in the mobile ecosystems, as is recognized by the interim report.
The Developers Alliance also emphasizes the need to consider the international perspective and the risks associated with an extraterritorial approach. With regard to the proposed interventions, they note the implications for software developers when the mobile ecosystems they rely upon undergoing significant changes.
The following quote can be attributed to Bruce Gustafson, Developers Alliance CEO & President:
We appreciate the open and transparent process the CMA has adopted. We remain convinced that targeted interventions that balance both incentives and disincentives are the best approach to limit collateral damage to the many stakeholders that rely on ecosystem stability.
The varied viewpoints which have emerged clearly demonstrate that there are strong opinions on all sides of the Mobile Ecosystem debate. App developers have an oversized stake in the outcome of discussions which generally place too much emphasis on large tech firms.
The Developers Alliance submission can be found here. The CMA announced that it will publish the final report in June 2022.
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About The Developers Alliance
The Developers Alliance is the world’s leading advocate for software developers and the companies invested in their success. Alliance members include industry leaders in consumer, enterprise, industrial, and emerging software development, and a global network of more than 70,000 developers.
