CCIA Applauds Parts of President Obama’s Innovation Agenda
9/21/2009
Washington
– The tech industry applauds President Obama’s call for and outline of
a new generation of innovation. The President appropriately offered a
strategy to develop more advanced information technology
infrastructure, to promote progress in clean energy, health care and
basic research and also to provide a better educated workforce. But
there are other important issues related to innovation that will also
need to be addressed if our national innovation policy is to be as
robust as we need it to be. Competition policy and Intellectual
Property issues which can either help or hinder innovation must also be
properly balanced and aligned if we are to maximize the potential of
innovation in our society.
The
Computer & Communications Industry Association supports open
markets, open systems and open networks and vigorous competitive
markets to boost innovation. The following statement can be attributed
to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
"Real
innovation will help build more high paying jobs and a sustainable
economic recovery. The President has long recognized the role of
innovation in the economy as a tool to advance goals to improve health
care, communications and the nations infrastructure. Today’s broad plan
will serve as a roadmap as the nation makes decisions on where to
invest research and education spending.
“A
strong innovation policy is needed as an antidote to the binge economy
that created bubbles in housing and credit markets. We need a
long-term strategy and skepticism toward short-term gain based on
speculation on overvalued assets.
“The
Administration’s innovation strategy unfortunately does not recognize
one major problem in innovation policy today – that the patent system
has become more a burden than a benefit for major sectors of the
economy. It threatens
to
smother much innovation by diverting resources and attention away from
research and real innovation towards legal fees, settlements, and
litigation. Intellectual property issues in general need to be updated
in a balanced way to respond to our new digital world.”
Contact:
Heather Greenfield
202-783-0070 ext 113
Ed Black
202-783-0070 ext 110
