Posts Tagged: "Senate"

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property released a discussion draft copyright reform bill titled the ‘Digital Copyright Act of 2021’ (the discussion draft). The discussion draft, which is intended to bring revolutionary changes to online copyright law, was developed based on recommendations in six hearings of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property focused on reforming copyright law in the digital environment, two staff briefings, and four extensive Copyright Office studies. This proposed DMCA reform was released in order to solicit comments from stakeholders and other interested parties.

Three days out from Election Day, 2020, there are still many votes left to be counted, but as of the time of publication, it seems Joe Biden is likely to take the U.S. Presidency. IPWatchdog explored what a Biden presidency might mean for intellectual property (IP) yesterday, but there were also important wins in the Senate and House that are worth noting. Overall, the key U.S. Senators and Congress members who have been most active on IP issues in recent years seem to have retained their seats, and leadership of the IP Subcommittees remains intact. How a new administration will change the makeup of these subcommittees and whether potential new leadership in the House following the Democrats’ failure to make the gains they’d hoped they would remain open questions.

This week in our nation’s capital, the Senate Banking Committee holds a hearing on introducing decentralized ledger technologies into government payment systems while the Senate Labor Subcommittee looks at Operation Warp Speed’s progress on developing a COVID-19 vaccine. Over in the House of Representatives, the House Rules Committee will look at amendments to the INVEST in America Act, a major transportation infrastructure bill which earmarks federal funding for mobility innovation programs. Elsewhere, New America looks at the impact that the year 2020 will have on the world of big tech while the Center for Strategic & International Studies discusses Main Street innovation in the defense sector with the company president of General Atomics, maker of the MQ-9 Reaper.

This week in our nation’s capital, the House of Representatives hosts a number of committee hearings related to technology and innovation. Various hearings will explore online sales tax impacts on small businesses, unsafe counterfeit products bought by American consumers, uses of blockchain technology among small businesses, issues with veteran electronic health record systems, U.S. Cyber Command’s 2021 budget and the role of advanced nuclear reactors in creating a cleaner economy. Over in the Senate, a pair of hearings on Wednesday will discuss issues with securing the 5G supply chain and data surveillance concerns caused by partnerships between major tech firms and China. Elsewhere in D.C., the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Aspen Institute host a joint event focused on reducing sources of carbon from industrial processes.

This week in Washington-based IP events, the Senate will host a series of committee hearings to explore the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) implementation bill recently passed by the House of Representatives, although political turmoil in D.C. is expected to delay the Senate’s passage of that legislation. The Senate Commerce Committee will also convene a hearing this week to focus on how the U.S. can maintain a competitive edge in several areas of innovation. Over in the House, the Small Business Committee will discuss findings on minority and women patenting rates in the recent SUCCESS Act study. Other House committees will focus on steps towards a carbon-free shipping industry, facial recognition technologies, and new frontiers in energy science research. Elsewhere in D.C., the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation will look at ways that the EU is planning on funding research and development across Europe, and the Brookings Institution will host an event on the ethical use of AI algorithms.

This week in Washington D.C., Capitol Hill remains rather quiet as both houses of Congress begin to return from the holiday recess. However, the House of Representatives will host hearings on forms of Internet deception that are harmful to American consumers as well as cybersecurity issues related to digital voting platforms. In the Senate, the Senate Finance Committee will discuss the implementation of the USMCA, the recently negotiated North American free trade agreement replacing NAFTA, which includes important provisions on intellectual property. Elsewhere in the Capital., the Center for Strategic and International Studies explores NASA’s role in American foreign policy while The Wilson Center gathers educators and esports executives for an event focused on improving outcomes for U.S. students. 

This week in our nation’s capital is fairly quiet as Congress gets ready to enter recess for the holiday season. On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a meeting to discuss a proposed bill related to cybersecurity policies among NATO members. That same day, the House Higher Education Subcommittee will explore ways that the American workforce can be helped in trying to adapt to changes to job prospects resulting from rapid technological innovation. Elsewhere, Cato Institute hosts an event on the intersection of scientific research and public policy, and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation will focus on changes to U.S. tax incentive programs that are designed to accelerate clean energy innovation.

This week in Washington, D.C., the House Intellectual Property Subcommittee will explore the  impact of the Federal Circuit’s recent Arthrex decision on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s (PTAB’s) administrative patent judges on Tuesday. Other House subcommittees will look at small business contributions to smart construction projects and the National Institute of Health’s (NIH’s) efforts to improve flu vaccine innovation, while the Senate Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government will explore FCC control over the upcoming 5G wireless spectrum auction. Elsewhere in the Senate, the Energy Committee will look at several bills related to energy innovation, including an ARPA-E reauthorization bill. Off of Capitol Hill, the American Enterprise Institute will look at how the adoption of automated technologies will affect the future of employment in the U.S. Army. 

This week in tech and innovation hearings in Washington, D.C., the U.S. House of Representatives gets underway on Wednesday by exploring rulemaking at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regulating online platforms through antitrust law, preparing the medical workforce for innovation and checking the progress of NASA’s plans to put American astronauts on the Moon and Mars. Later in the week, House committees focus on innovation in water and geothermal energy as well as the impact of big tech on small businesses across America. Over in the Senate, the Senate Environment Committee holds a hearing to look at expanding commercial nuclear power and the Senate Commerce Committee will mark up various pieces of legislation, including one bill that would reauthorize compulsory licenses for satellite broadcasts under STELAR despite Copyright Office opposition to such reauthorization. Elsewhere in D.C., The Brookings Institution holds an event today to discuss potential biases that can develop through the use of algorithms in AI technologies.

This week in tech and innovation hearings in Washington, D.C., the House of Representatives explores issues related to emerging cyber threats, Facebook’s cryptocurrency and its impact on the financial sector, space weather research and supporting clean automobile developments. House committees will also hold two field hearings outside of D.C. on improving Internet connectivity in rural communities and community initiatives in smart mobility programs. In the Senate, committee hearings will focus on ownership of personal data, international energy efficiency efforts and the reauthorization of compulsory copyright licenses for satellite broadcasts under STELAR. Elsewhere, Cato Institute will host an event looking at advances to space technology encouraged by the private sector, while the week closes out with an event at The Heritage Foundation discussing the effect of data surveillance on Fourth Amendment protections.

This week in the U.S. capital, the Senate will hold committee hearings on antitrust issues in digital platforms and real-time payment systems, a sector of fintech that will also be explored by the House Task Force on Financial Technology. Elsewhere in the House of Representatives, there will be hearings on Veterans’ Affairs scheduling technology, clean industrial innovations and medical research funding at the NIH. The week kicks off at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation with a look at small business innovation funding programs. The Brookings Institution will also host events on Army modernization efforts and issues in disaggregating health data for improved policy-making.

Yesterday, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Representatives Mark Takano (D-CA) and Bill Foster (D-IL) introduced the Office of Technology Assessment Improvement and Enhancement Act, which if enacted would introduce enhancements to the existing Office of Technology Assessment statute codified at 2 U.S.C. §472. According to the sponsors, this bipartisan legislation would improve and enhance the existing Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) by making it more accessible and responsive to the needs of Members of Congress. The OTA, which existed for a generation spanning three decades in the 1970s, 80s and into the mid 1990s, became defunct when Republicans took control of Congress after the 1994 midterm elections. A draft funding bill released by House Democrats this spring first showed interest in resurrecting the OTA.

This week in the U.S. Capitol and Washington D.C area., technology and innovation hearings in the House of Representatives will focus on tech at the Environmental Protection Agency, small business contract programs at the Small Business Administration, NASA’s deep space exploration program and sustainability technologies for the transportation sector. Over in the Senate, committee hearings will look at the mineral supply chain for clean energy tech and the regulation of extremist content on digital platforms in response to mass violence. The week kicks off with a discussion at the Brookings Institution of the impacts of federal data privacy legislation, while the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation will host a mid-week event on data-driven innovations in drug development.

On Thursday, May 9, the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients (APP) Act was introduced into the U.S. Senate by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). If passed by Congress and signed into law, the bill would modify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act to give the FTC additional antitrust authority to challenge the anticompetitive nature of certain actions by pharmaceutical patent owners in the service of providing more consumer access to generic and biosimilar drugs.