This Week in Washington IP: ADR for Copyright Small Claims, Modernizing Federal Telework Programs and PPAC Quarterly Meeting at the USPTO

This week in Washington IP news, the Senate Judiciary Committee will discuss a proposed bill that would create an alternative dispute resolution path for copyright small claims, while the Senate Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee discusses lessons learned in federal telework programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hosts an event exploring the history of vaccine research, while on Thursday the agency’s Patent Public Advisory Committee will meet to discuss the past few months of the agency’s patent operations. The U.S. Copyright Office will also hold an event Wednesday to honor the legacy of former Register Barbara Ringer.

Tuesday, November 17

Brookings Institution 

What Is the Future of Artificial Intelligence?

At 9:30 AM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies hold great promise for ushering in the next generation of massive productivity increases across a variety of industrial sectors, although many have raised concerns over potential bias, privacy and human safety issues. This event, hosted by Brookings’ Center for Technology Innovation, will discuss the legal and policy issues raised by AI deployment as well as suggestions on how to mitigate reasonable concerns while supporting incredible economic advances. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Rebecca Wexler, Nonresident Fellow, Governance Studies, Center for Technology Innovation; Bhaskar Chakravorti, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Governance Studies; and moderated by Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director, Governance Studies, and Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation.

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

Manufacturing Workforce Development and Strengthening Manufacturing Supply Chains: What Can States Do?

At 10:00 AM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

Several states have been developing advanced manufacturing policies that are designed to help bolster regional workforces and better position local economies to participate in national and global supply chains. This virtual forum will discuss case studies from states and explore the potential of state partnerships with various federal initiatives such as the Manufacturing USA Institutes or the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. The event will feature a pair of panel discussions, the first focused on manufacturing workforce development and moderated by Stephen Ezell, VP, Global Innovation Policy, ITIF; and the second focused on state options for strengthening manufacturing supply chains and moderated by Sue Helper, Professor, Case Western University. Closing remarks at this virtual workshop will be offered by Bill Bonvillian, Former Director, MIT Washington Office.

Center for Strategic & International Studies 

Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management Coordination Among US Agencies

At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

This event, hosted by CSIS’ Aerospace Security Project, will explore efforts existing among U.S. federal agencies to coordinate the sharing of useful data related to space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic management (STM). Speakers will also discuss the findings of a recent National Academy of Public Administration report found that SSA/STM data is a public good that requires a dedicated government entity for dissemination. Speakers at this event will include Gordan Kordyak, Executive Agent for Space Domain Awareness, U.S. Space Force; Lauri K. Newman, Conjunction Assessment Manager, NASA; Mark B. Daley, Deputy for Operations, U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Space Commerce; and Todd Harrison, Director, Defense Budget Analysis, Director, Aerospace Security Project, and Senior Fellow, International Security Program.

Wednesday, November 18

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Executive Session

At 10:00 AM on Wednesday in G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

On Wednesday morning, the Senate Commerce Committee will convene an executive session to discuss several proposed bills related to data network and satellite communication technologies, including S. 1166, the Internet Exchange Act; S. 4472, the Ensuring Network Security Act; and S. 4827, the Space Preservation and Conjunction Emergency (SPACE) Act.

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

Battery Manufacturing Powers Up: Transatlantic Catch-up and Cooperation

At 10:00 AM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

Electric vehicle (EV) technologies are becoming more popular among policymakers who see alternative fuel modes of transportation as a large part of the answer to heavy carbon emissions from automobiles. While some national and state governments mull the possibility of banning internal combustion vehicles, policy analysts have questioned the lack of transatlantic cooperation to counter EV supply chains which are quickly growing dominant in Asia, especially in China. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Rob Boyle, Senior Policy Analyst, ITIF; Stephen Gifford, Chief Economist, Faraday Institution; Danny Kennedy, President, CalCharge; Ilka von Dalwigk, Policy Manager, EIT InnoEnergy; and moderated by David M. Hart, Senior Fellow, ITIF.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Putting COVID-19 Vaccine Research in Perspective: Learning From the Past 

At 2:30 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

This virtual event, hosted by the Midwest Regional USPTO, will explore the history of vaccine research with a special focus on recent developments towards a viable COVID-19 vaccine. The guest speaker for this event will be Michael S. Kinch, Ph.D, Associate Vice Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis, and Founder and Director, Center for Innovation Research in Biotechnology.

Senate Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management

Modernizing Federal Telework: Moving Forward Using the Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic

At 3:00 PM on Wednesday in 342 Dirksen.

Among the many repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the need for many employers, including the federal government, to thoroughly embrace telework platforms allowing them to continue as much of their regular business activities as possible while preventing transmissions of viral disease by keeping employees at home. Some agencies, like the Veterans Health Administration, have actually seen a sizable reduction in agency backlogs due in part to mandated increases to employee telework. The witness panel for this hearing will include Michelle Rosenberg, Acting Director, Strategic Issues Team, Government Accountability Office; Keith Washington, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation; Sydney T. Rose, Chief Human Capital Officer, Office of Human Resources, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, U.S. Department of Labor; and Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Chief Information Officer for IT Operations, Social Security Administration.

Thursday, November 19

Senate Committee on the Judiciary 

Executive Business Meeting

At 10:00 AM on Thursday in 325 Russell Senate Office Building.

On Thursday morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene an executive business meeting to discuss S. 4632, the Online Content Policy Modernization Act. If enacted, this bill would amend Title 17 of U.S. Code to create an alternative dispute resolution program for copyright small claims, as well as amend provisions of the Communications Act of 1934 to modify the scope of protection from liability for “good Samaritan” blocking and screening of offensive material.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Attend the Patent Public Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting

At 11:00 AM on Thursday, online video webinar.

On Thursday morning, the USPTO’s Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) will convene for its regularly quarterly meeting to review policies, performance, goals, budgets and user fees at the agency. The day’s agenda will feature presentations on patent quality and pendency, artificial intelligence, IT updates, PTAB updates and legislative updates.

New America

How the Next Administration Can Use Technology to Prevent Another Unemployment Insurance Meltdown

At 11:30 AM, online video webinar.

Increasing unemployment insurance has been one of the major tools used by policymakers to ensure that the American population can maintain their livelihood under the specter of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shutdowns which have put many laborers out of work around the globe. This event will explore technological platforms that can be adopted by state governments and federal agencies to strengthen the critical infrastructure for government benefits and shore up weaknesses that have been exposed by the increased demand on these systems during the pandemic. The first panel discussion during this event will focus on launching the Digital Benefits Coalition and it will be moderated by Tomicah Tillemann, Director, Digital Impact and Governance Initiative, New America. The second panel discussion will focus on identifying solutions to the unemployment insurance crisis and it will be moderated by Cori Zarek, Director of Data + Digital, Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation.

U.S. Copyright Office

Advancing Inclusion in Copyright & Register Barbara Ringer’s Legacy

At 5:00 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.

On Thursday afternoon, the Copyright Office will commemorate the life of Barbara Ringer, the first woman to serve the United States as the Register of Copyrights and a lead architect of the Copyright Act of 1976. In honor of Ringer’s memory, the event will discuss opportunities for developing more diverse and inclusive legal systems and offer an exploration of the intersection between intellectual property and critical race and feminist theory. Opening remarks will be provided by Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director, U.S. Copyright Office. Following her remarks will be a discussion with a panel including Deirdré A. Keller, Dean and Professor of Law, Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University College of Law; Madhavi Sunder, Professor of Law, Georgetown Law Center; and Victoria Phillips, Director, Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic, American University Washington College of Law. A brief overview of Ringer’s impact on U.S. copyright law will be provided at the event by Amanda Levendowski, Associate Professor of Law, Georgetown Law, and Director, Intellectual Property and Information Policy Clinic.

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