A cohort of major tech companies including Google, Meta, and Qualcomm have teamed up to support the generation of open digital ecosystems in response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
The coalition, called Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE) aims to encourage open platforms to propel growth and innovation across Europe.
The other seven members of CODE include HONOR and Lenovo from China, Lynx of France, Motorola of the US, Nothing from the UK, the Norwegian company Opera, and Wire from Germany.
The DMA, which came into effect in 2022, requires “gatekeeping” companies to allow third party platforms to inter-operate with their services, battling against monopolistic tendencies and platform lock-ins.
Gatekeepers refer to large digital platforms providing core services, like online search engines, app stores or messenger services – the DMA is the first such act to attempt to regulate these massive tech conglomerates on the market to dissolve monopolies and anti-competitive practices.
The DMA also allows company’s users to promote their own offers and conclude contracts with their customers outside of the gatekeeper’s platform.
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Central to this is open-access to digital platforms to create a more democratised ecosystem and allow for more fair market competition, compelling companies to innovate.
The coalition formed by some of the biggest tech companies operating in Europe, deemed gatekeepers by the DMA, to meet this new goal and regulatory framework, as well as upholding this new standard in future frameworks.
By working with policymakers, companies, and academics, the coalition aims to promote digital openness.
“We have had a number of conversations in the past few months about what ‘good’ looks like when it comes to digital ecosystems in Europe, what fosters innovation, and what will positively impact competitiveness. We think openness is the crucial element,” Lynx founder Stan Larroque said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.





