Association for Competitive Technology
1. The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) is a Microsoft lobbying arm. This is probably the most comprehensive post which looks at the genesis of ACT, its stated intentions, and connections to Microsoft. 2. After the EU verdict on Intel in 2009, Zuck from ACT did not miss the opportunity to daemonise the Commission and its decision, which addressed offenses similar to Microsoft's. This post also shows the work of Oracle exposing what ACT really was, just about a decade ago.
3. In 2008 we learned about ATL, which seems like a previous incarnation of ACT, as judged by obvious criteria and staff.
4. Here is a 2008 example of ACT fighting European Regulators to defend Microsoft.
5. At the beginning of 2009, ACT was pretending to deserve a role in a panel about Free/open source software, where it essentially derailed the publication of sensible conclusions and inserted detrimental terms. Here is where it ended eventually, with a disclosure. A formal complaint was subsequently filed too.
6. ACT persistently pushes for software patents, especially in Europe. Here is one example from 2009. A 2008 observation served as an example of ACT hijacking the voice of small businesses to advance Microsoft's line. Here is another example with some context and yet another one among many (and another, more on patents and yet another example of ACT lobbying for software patents in Europe).
7. 2009 example of ACT's intervention in Microsoft matters and a look at the fronts of Microsoft (marketing and lobbying), including ACT.
8. 2008 rant explaining what ACT was really all about
9. Introduction to Mike Sax from ACT.
10. In 2009, ACT published an attack on FOSS where it used the old Microsoft-bred myths and discouraged FOSS adoption.
11. The fight to keep media closed in Europe, courtesy of ACT's Zuck.
12. Little summaries of of lobbies for Microsoft, more on ACT among groups with a similar goal and funding source, and more from the same pedigree/family.
13. In 2007, ACT was behind many attacks on GPLv3 and here is ACT essentially trying to illegalise Free software.
14. In 2008 we filed a complaint about ACT to the FTC, detailing in short what ACT was doing.
15. In 2013 ACT was re-incarnated as ACT4APPS.
16. Even in 2017 ACT is still 'planting' articles while pretending to represent SMEs.
17. It also lobbies authorities