Apr
4
Reid commited to get patent reform to floor
Posted by Dirk Avery at 7:55 am under Legislation, Patent.
Rick Merritt, from EE Times, writes,
A spokeswoman for Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the majority leader is committed to bring the Patent Reform Act (S-1145) to the Senate floor in the current working session which ends in late May. “It could come up as early as next week,” she said.
The Senate bill echoes many of […]
Mar
31
Dudas on the state of patent system
Posted by Dirk Avery at 10:51 am under Legislation, Patent.
Patent Commissioner Jon Dudas spoke with CNET about the patent system over the weekend at the Tech Policy Summit in Hollywood, California. Here are some interesting excerpts from Anne Broache’s report:
“Software, biotechnology, business methods–In the United States, the Supreme Court has consistently held that those are areas where there should be patents, and those […]
Mar
28
Berman says PRO-IP Act is going to pass
Posted by Dirk Avery at 7:56 am under Copyright, Legislation.
“Hollywood” Berman (D-CA), new chairman of the House IP subcommittee, says of the PRO-IP Act, “‘I think this is going to pass’, this year,” according to Ars Technica’s Nate Anderson. Chairman Berman also gives lip service to copyright’s greater purpose, noting concerns about the new act’s effect on fair use and claiming a belief […]
Mar
21
Vote for OpenCongress!
Posted by Irene Soto at 1:48 pm under Internet, Legislation.
After some e-encouragement from a professor, I checked out OpenCongress.org, a “free, open-source, non-profit, and non-partisan web resource with a mission to make Congress more transparent and to encourage civic engagement.” It is fantastic!
With OpenCongress you can create your own account and easily track your favorite bills, Members of Congress, committees, industries, and issues. It […]
Mar
20
New York Takes on Targeted Ads
Posted by Irene Soto at 9:00 am under Internet, Legislation.
NY Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky is sponsoring a bill that would make it a crime for certain web companies to use behavioral targeted ads generated from the collection of personal data. Two problems.
First, it’s impossible for this law to only affect NY given the nature of the internet. Companies may have to change their behavior […]
Mar
19
Why isn’t .xxx a good idea?
Posted by Dirk Avery at 11:21 am under Internet, Legislation, Litigation.
A new top-level domain dedicated to… um… pornography is a great idea. A new domain would allow segregation of content in a manner much like content is segregated in the “real” world. This would provide neat and easy control for those who wanted it. Schools and employers could simply not provide access […]
Mar
17
An Obstacle for the Design Piracy Prohibition Act
Posted by Irene Soto at 2:32 pm under Copyright, Legislation.
After months of negotiation between the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), an agreement was reached regarding the scope of copyright protection for fashion designs. However, the AAFA board rejected the compromise bill last week, leaving the CFDA as the chief proponent of the Design Piracy […]
Mar
6
House revokes music industry’s carte blanche
Posted by Dirk Avery at 4:58 pm under Copyright, Legislation.
CNet’s Anne Broache writes:
To avoid having a copyright bill favored by the music industry become mired in controversy, a U.S. House of Representatives panel has agreed to remove a section that would have dramatically increased fines in copyright infringement lawsuits.
Under the original Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act (the PRO IP Act), […]
Feb
27
S. 428: 9-1-1 Bill Passes
Posted by Irene Soto at 11:47 pm under Internet, Legislation.
Yesterday, the Senate passed the IP-Enabled Voice Communications and Public Safety Act of 2007.
Section 2:
“Amends the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 to impose on IP-enabled voice service providers engaged in interstate or foreign communication a requirement to provide 9-1-1 service, including enhanced 9-1-1 service, to its subscribers.”
Full text of the bill is […]