Nov 19, 2008
Washington, D.C. – A new group called Future of Privacy is being created reportedly to help shape the discussion of privacy policy during the Obama administration. Jules Polonetsky, AOL’s former chief privacy officer will co-found the group along with Christopher Wolf of the Washington law firm Proskauer Rose LLP.
File Under:
News
Oct 24, 2008
Oct 15, 2008
The Computer & Communications Industry Association is issuing the
following statement in response to FCC Chairman Martin's announcement
that he wants to allow portable devices to use the white spaces between
TV broadcast channels for wireless and broadband. This can be
attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
Oct 10, 2008
Washington, DC – Two military intercept officers who worked at a National Security Agency center in Georgia told ABC News they eavesdropped on the phone conversations of hundreds of U.S. citizens overseas. The officers told how operators would pass around time codes of the calls journalists, soldiers and aid workers made to friends and family back home.
Oct 7, 2008
Washington, DC – Universal Service should be redefined to ensure low-income consumers have access to broadband service, according to a petition the Computer & Communications Industry Association filed with the Federal Communications Commission Tuesday.
Oct 1, 2008
Washington, DC – The Motion Picture Association, which represents six Hollywood movie studios, announced those studios are suing RealNetworks Inc. for releasing software Tuesday that allows consumers to copy DVDs onto their computer’s hard drive.
The studios are asking for a temporary restraining order saying the downloadable software Real DVD violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by bypassing the copyright protection that’s built into DVDs.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association disagrees with that interpretation.
“Contrary to what the studios are saying, the DMCA was not intended to allow the movie industry to block a competitive business model. This is the same crowd that said the videocassette recorder would be the death of them,” said Ed Black, President & CEO of CCIA. “Real's innovative product isn't what the DMCA is supposed to prevent, and if it does, it will be another piece of evidence that the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions are fundamentally anti-consumer.”
Sep 26, 2008
Washington, DC – A coalition of trade associations representing small
to large companies and public interest groups have filed a friend of
the court brief today in the case of Arista Records v. Limewire.
Click here for brief
Sep 24, 2008
Washington, DC – In a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the
Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, the Department of Justice and
Department of Commerce express concerns with a provision in S. 3325,
the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act.
They say that despite the bill’s good intentions, the way it is
written, it would turn DOJ attorneys into pro bono copyright lawyers
for big content providers.
Sep 19, 2008
http://thehill.com/letters/fighting-internet-suppression-govt-spying-isp-content-bias-2008-09-18.html
China and the United States approach politics differently, but their teenagers share a favorite means of communication – text messaging. What these teens are saying to each other may matter only to them. But that they are able to communicate this easily, openly and even cheaply matters to us all.
Without the freedom to have these little conversations, a nation is not equipped to have the bigger ones. *It is with the vigilance of a teen facing time without texting that we should take a day to focus not on the small screen of the phone or bigger the laptop screen, but the broader picture -- the tremendous value of an open Internet.
Sep 19, 2008
CCIA is releasing this paper today on the trade barriers Internet and e-Commerce companies face as we approach OneWeb Day Monday, Sept. 22, which is a sort of “Earth Day” to look at the Internet, it’s health and future challenges to its openness.
The subject of Internet and e-commerce laws as a trade issue has been a growing topic of discussion. The USTR plans a hearing Monday, Sept. 22 on this and a coalition of tech and telecom companies, including CCIA, have sent comments on this issue to the USTR last week.
Click Here for Link to CCIA's Comments to the USTR
Click Here for CCIA's Paper on Internet Protectionism
Sep 9, 2008
Washington, DC -- The Department of Justice released a report on
Antitrust Monopoly Law yesterday. The report, "Competition and
Monopoly: Single-Firm Conduct Under Section 2 of the Sherman Act,"
sought to examine whether specific types of conduct run foul of Section
2 of the Sherman Act. In response to the report, Ed Black, President
& CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association
released this statement:
Aug 21, 2008
Washington, DC -- A long-standing gag order on a major antitrust case needs to be lifted, according to a motion filed today by news organizations and the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
CCIA along with the New York Times, The Register, Dow Jones, the Washington Post and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press asked a federal court in Delaware to unseal records in the AMD Intel lawsuit.
Aug 11, 2008
Washington, D.C. – T3 Technologies formally announced today it had retained counsel to file an antitrust complaint against IBM in Europe. T3 is a small mainframe supplier, which bills itself on its website as an alternative to being bound by IBM.
Jul 31, 2008
Washington, DC – The FCC is scheduled to vote Friday on whether Comcast
violated federal rules when it slowed down the transmission of files
for those using the video sharing application BitTorrent.
Jul 29, 2008
Washington, DC – The Computer & Communications Industry Association has joined a coalition of ten other non-profit and public interest groups including The Public Patent Foundation, AARP and the Software Freedom Law Center today to file an amicus brief in a pending patent office rules case.
Click here for Amicus Brief
Jul 17, 2008
Washington, DC – European regulators have filed new antitrust charges against Intel today. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Competition confirmed today that it had sent Intel a supplementary Statement of Objections (SSO) outlining its preliminary conclusion that Intel has engaged in three additional elements of abusive conduct. These new charges accuse Intel of providing rebates to a prominent European computer retailer conditional on them only carrying Intel products, providing rebates to a leading computer manufacturer to delay the launch of an AMD-based product line, and providing rebates to the same computer manufacturer for stocking their laptops exclusively with Intel-based products.
Jul 17, 2008
Washington, DC – The Computer & Communications Association joined Compete America and a broad coalition of those in education and the tech industry to ask Congress to pass changes this year to help ease the backlog in visas for highly skilled workers.
The letter asks members of Congress to pass incremental adjustments to the employment-based green card system, noting that H.R, 6039, H.R. 5921 and H.R. 5882 have broad bipartisan support.
Jul 2, 2008
Washington, D.C. –IBM has just announced it is buying up Platform Solutions, Inc. (PSI), its small but most significant competitor. PSI is/was a small mainframe manufacturer that had sued IBM over the same anticompetitive practices in Europe and New York.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association sees this as a clear attempt by IBM to purchase a company solely to foreclose competition in the mainframe marketplace, protecting IBM’s cash cow at the expense of consumers. This acquisition should be a cause of concern for competition authorities throughout the world.
Jun 20, 2008
Washington, DC – The Computer & Communications Industry Association joined with several organizations today in urging a federal court to grant a new trial to Jammie Thomas, who was fined $222,000 in October 2007 for allegedly violating copyrights.
Thomas was found liable for unlawfully distributing music on a file sharing network, notwithstanding the lack of evidence that she had in fact done so. Her liability was based upon a startling jury instruction that the plaintiff record labels need not have proved that she actually distributed any music on the Internet to hold her liable for distributing music on the Internet.
Jun 13, 2008
CCIA commends the FCC for releasing the final report on its March decision on Broadband Data collection that makes significant changes that will allow the agency to
collect more accurate data on broadband penetration and speed.
In response to the report, CCIA's Vice President of Government Relations Cathy Sloan released this statement:
“The FCC’s effort to collect more granular data is an important initial
step towards improving U.S. broadband deployment. By collecting better
data on broadband availability and corresponding speeds, it becomes
easier to target areas that are not adequately covered with efforts
designed to stimulate broadband investment in those regions. Since
broadband is an important driver of economic development, it is
essential that our nation improve broadband access and speed to all
Americans. We applaud the expert agency's taking its cue from bipartisan
consensus legislation on broadband mapping that passed both the House
of Represenatives and the Senate Commerce Committee earlier this year."
Jun 6, 2008
Washington, DC – The Computer & Communications Industry Association commends the Federal Trade Commission for opening up a formal antitrust investigation into Intel’s alleged anticompetitive practices.
This news comes days after Korean antitrust regulators fined Intel $25 million for abusing its dominant position in the microprocessor market and the European Commission announced plans to rule in their case against Intel by September. Besides the recent events in Europe and Korea, Japanese regulators ruled against Intel’s practices in 2005 and the New York State Attorney General’s Office announced their own investigation in January of this year. CCIA said word of the FTC’s investigation sends a clear signal that the agency, which has been less aggressive in its enforcement in recent years, may now be taking competition in the high-tech markets—markets that are crucial to our future economic success—more seriously.
Jun 5, 2008
Washington, DC – The South Korean antitrust ruling against Intel is
seen as a portent of other pending lawsuits against the world’s largest
chipmaker. Intel is facing antitrust challenges in jurisdictions around
the world.
After a three-year investigation, The Korean Fair Trade Commission has
fined Intel $25 million for abusing its dominant position in the
microprocessor market and ordered the company to cease its illegal
rebates to PC makers. This ruling comes on the heels of news that the
European Commission (EC) plans to rule on the case by September.
May 30, 2008
Washington, DC – The European Commission said it will rule by August or September in its antitrust investigation into Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor maker, according to news reports this week.
The timeline came after a spokesman for the EC denied a Financial Times Deutschland report that the Commission had reached a provisional decision against Intel. If the EC deems that Intel's anticompetitive actions were illegal, then they could fine the company up to ten percent of their annual revenue or $2.6 billion Euros and demand they alter their sales practices.
May 28, 2008
Washington, DC -- The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomed the United States Trade Representative’s announcement Tuesday that it had requested WTO dispute settlement action on duties imposed by the European Union on high-tech products covered by the WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA).
May 23, 2008
Washington, D.C. – Just a day after Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., held a hearing this week to examine global Internet freedom, the Washington Post reported on the Iranian government’s crackdown on Internet sites related to women’s issues and human rights.
Some of the sites, including http://wwwchange4equality.net, were among those involved in an online petition seeking 1 million signatures in hopes of encouraging the government to change what activists say are laws that discriminate against women.
Today, the Computer & Communications Industry Association has sent a letter to the State Department, asking the administration to oppose constricting information in all forms. Restricting information in the media and elsewhere is a long used tool by undemocratic regimes. The letter asks the State Department to raise Internet censorship as a human rights issue on its diplomatic agenda.
May 20, 2008
The Computer & Communications Industry Association is a longtime advocate of policies that provide open markets, open systems and open networks and is concerned when governments limit access to means of communications like the Internet. CCIA released this statement at this morning's hearing on Global Internet Freedom: Corporate Responsibility and the Rule of Law before the Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law.
Click Here for CCIA's Statement
CCIA also sent a copy of this statement to the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Susan C. Schwab.
Click Here for CCIA's Cover Letter to USTR
May 16, 2008
Washington, DC – The Senate passed a joint resolution Thursday night that would nullify FCC action in December to loosen the rules on how many newspapers or broadcast stations one entity can own.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association, which supports open markets, today praised Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine and Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii for their initiative to pass S. J. Res. 28, which would preserve more diversity in the media.
May 14, 2008
At the Washington Caucus May 6, tech executives had the chance to engage in a dialogue and to get an update on tech measures, including several which have been stalled in Congress this session. Sixteen officials and members of Congress shared their insights on issues from patent reform to trade, FISA legislation, net neutrality, and broadband deployment, among others. While this report focuses on what CCIA members and guests heard from our distinguished presenters, the format offered frequent opportunities for CCIA’s views to be presented, and for comments, questions, and feedback from all those attending.
Click here for full Caucus report
File Under:
News
May 7, 2008
Washington, D.C. – Federal Trade Commission Chairman William Kovacic outlined his goals including plans to prioritize evaluating the agency's effectiveness at a Computer & Communications Industry Association breakfast today.
Making an analogy about medical practice, the recently-appointed chairman said the agency should engage in more follow-up as would a physician, instead of merely pronouncing the patient “well” after a decision. Kovacic indicated that the agency had started to review its previous cases to find out whether the agency decisions had helped.
File Under:
News
May 1, 2008
Washington, DC -- Tech executives from around the country are coming to Washington DC next week to get an update on the challenges lawmakers face getting measures passed that would help the tech industry, innovation and the economy.
The discussion with Senators, House members and tech executives is part of the Computer and Communications Industry Association’s annual Washington Caucus at the Willard hotel in Washington DC.
File Under:
News
Apr 29, 2008
Washington, D.C. – A tech industry association is asking Congress to steer clear of an enforcement-only immigration measure some lawmakers are trying to bring toward a vote. The Computer and Communications Industry Association sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner Tuesday outlining its concerns with H.R. 4088, the Save America Through Verification and Enforcement Act.
CCIA President and CEO Ed Black told House leaders H.R. 4088 is not broad enough to address problems with immigration policy, including the critical shortage of visas for highly skilled workers.
Click here for letter
Apr 24, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- According to recent press reports, European Union antitrust enforcement officials have asked International Business Machines (IBM) for information about its mainframe computer business in response to an antitrust complaint filed by a small competitor, Platform Solutions, Inc (PSI). The inquiry could be the first step towards a formal investigation of unfair dealings by IBM, which is the world’s dominant supplier of mainframe hardware and software.
CCIA welcomes the EU inquiry and encourages EU regulators to act expeditiously, if necessary, to ensure the integrity and competitiveness of the vital mainframe market.
Apr 21, 2008
By Ed Black
Article Launched: 04/21/2008 01:33:31 AM PDT
As the leading export industry of the nation, the high-tech sector is a
strong supporter of free trade and open markets. That is why the
current confrontation between Congress and the Bush administration is
so alarming.
We believe the Colombia trade agreement is good for our national
security and foreign policy as well as for our economy. More important
than the deadlock on this agreement itself is that it illustrates how
far the United States has strayed from the path of bipartisan
commitment to free trade.
For the whole article please visit: http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_8999770
Apr 14, 2008
Washington, DC -- A new independent study examining the costs and benefits of a proposed government-run electronic tax preparation system concludes the IRS should not invest in the so-called ‘I-File’ system, which would be costly to implement and create little or no benefit for consumers compared with the existing system.
“Competition in the industry obligates software companies to keep their products user-friendly and reasonably priced, and the IRS ‘Free File’ program already makes tax preparation software available to 7 out of 10 taxpayers for free,” study co-author Robert Litan said. “By comparison, an IRS I-File program would cost more than its benefits, and come with a significant risk of failure.”
Click here for study
File Under:
News
Apr 7, 2008
Washington, D.C. – The Computer & Communications Industry Association is encouraging the U.S Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to reconsider some cases that have had a significant impact on patent law – State Street Bank & Trust v. Signature Financial Group and AT&T v. Excel. In an amicus brief filed Monday, CCIA argues that both the State Street and AT&T cases should overturned.
File Under:
News
Apr 1, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) today proclaimed the opening of the H-1B visa application period as a dismal anniversary symbolizing the failure of Congress to address skilled immigration reform.
Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting applications for H-1B temporary work visas for Fiscal Year 2009. Last year, the cap on H-1B visas for FY2008 was exceeded on April 2nd, and USCIS held a lottery among the applications that were submitted. Despite numerous calls for action from a broad range of interests, there has been no increase in the H-1B cap during the past year. As a result, it is highly likely that we will be faced with the same situation again this year, and many U.S. companies will be unable to receive the visas they need to hire highly skilled foreign workers.
File Under:
News
Mar 26, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The promotion of FTC Commissioner William E. Kovacic to Chairman is being welcomed by the technology industry.
"He's knowledgeable, experienced, and has both an academic and real world understanding of the importance of competition, especially to the technology industry," Computer & Communications Industry Association President and CEO Ed Black said. "We believe the FTC has an important and ongoing role in ensuring a vibrant, competitive environment for the technology and Internet world. Chairman-Designate Kovacic appreciates the importance of creating the right regulatory framework to promote competition and innovation without unnecessary regulatory interference."
Mar 14, 2008
San Jose, Calif. – It will be a real competition of ideas as some of the leading voices in competition policy come together Monday for a workshop ahead of the Spring Von.x conference.
Ed Black, President & CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry, will lead off the event March 17, along with Jonathan Askin, Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School as they present an overview of the issues painting the competition landscape.
For a complete lineup of the Competitiveness Policy click here
File Under:
News
Mar 14, 2008
Washington, D.C. – CCIA's President Ed Black today announced that Danielle Yates will be joining the Computer & Communications Industry Association as Director of External Affairs starting March 24. Yates has been director of communications and special events at the Internet Education Foundation, a nonprofit that also coordinates educational programming for the Congressional Internet Caucus.
"We are excited to have Danielle join CCIA at a time when important issues are being addressed, and the foundation is being laid for addressing our industry's policy priorities for the future. Combined with the great recent addition of Heather Greenfield to CCIA's staff team as Director of Media Relations, we are looking forward to tackling some of the most important issues, challenges, and opportunities facing our industry with an expanded and prepared team."
File Under:
News
Mar 13, 2008
Washington -- As the State Department releases its 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, a group advocating freedom on the Internet is questioning how much weight that issue was given in the calculation of human rights ratings.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association is concerned when governments censor access to the Internet or use it for surveillance against those who disagree with their policies.
Click here to see letter
Mar 12, 2008
Here is a summary of the op ed by CCIA President & CEO Ed Black was published in
Roll Call March 11, 2008:
The current controversy surrounding the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act has dominated the news, and rightly so. The renewal of
FISA and its most controversial provision, retroactive immunity for the
telecommunications companies that cooperated with the government on
wireless surveillance activities, will impact every American — and some
of the most important industries at the center of our economic growth.
To see the full article click here for link
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_106/guest/22489-1.html
(subscription publication)
Mar 11, 2008
The following statement can be attributed to Ed Black, President & CEO of the Computer and Communications Industry Association:
This Judiciary Committee Anti-Trust Task Force hearing on net neutrality and freedom of speech is welcome given recent examples of questionable network management practices by cable operators and telecom companies.
Protecting the current free market access to Web sites, content, applications and services must be the highest priority – as that is why the Internet has grown and that is why it is such a value today.
Mar 11, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- This is another big week for the technology industry in Europe. This week European Union actions are impacting Intel, AMD, Google, Doubleclick, Yahoo, Microsoft, and others as well as millions of consumers. “Increasingly it is clear that competition issues are central to the evolution of the global technology industry, and that the European Commission is an important and respected venue where these issues will be addressed thoroughly,” said Ed Black, President & CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
“The EU has received much attention, and some criticism from its targets, for vigorous enforcement in some cases where the US has failed to act with equal vigor. However, the quality of review and fairness in outcomes is now widely respected, and has highlighted some weaknesses of the US in this area. The nearly simultaneous approval of the Doubleclick merger, and the hearing on Intel's abuse of competition reflect the even-handedness of the EU,” Black said
Mar 6, 2008
Washington, D.C. – The intellectual property legislation approved by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property today could have been worse and could have been better, according to the Computer & Communications Industry Association. CCIA is pleased that the Subcommittee removed from H.R. 4279 some of the more troubling elements, like one that would have unnecessarily increased statutory damages.
“The subcommittee wisely avoided a big mistake,” said CCIA President & CEO Ed Black, referring to the deletion of the statutory damages provision. “I hope that decision is not reversed at a later stage.”
Feb 29, 2008
Washington, D.C. -- The Computer & Communications Industry Association sent a letter to House members Friday asking them not to support retroactive immunity for major telecommunications companies as part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act legislation.
Click here to see the letter
Feb 29, 2008
Washington, DC _ The Computer & Communications Industry Association sees Sprint’s “Simply Everything” offer announced this week as good for competition and consumers.
The $99 plan is set to compete with larger carriers by offering a flat fee for unlimited voice, data, text, email and other features and services.
Feb 28, 2008
Washington, D.C. _ Comcast’s solution to so called “excessive use” by
BitTorrent customers is not reasonable traffic management and is not
justified, argues the Computer & Communications Industry
Association in reply comments filed before the Federal Communications
Commission Thursday.
Comcast told the FCC Feb. 13 it did disrupt BitTorrent traffic because
customers were using too much bandwidth. “This ‘network management’
tool is really an excuse for discriminatory traffic blocking,” said
CCIA President & CEO Ed Black. “Other broadband providers also use
network management, but they don’t single out a particular application
to limit or decrease its customers’ bandwidth, and then offer
competitors different treatment.”
Feb 25, 2008
Washington, D.C. – The Computer and Communications Industry Association is encouraged by the response it received from a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission on consumer fair use and misrepresentations made by copyright holders.
“We are pleased with the statements of the FTC that acknowledge the risks to consumer rights,” said CCIA President & CEO Ed Black. “The FTC letter issues an early warning to copyright owners that they are not immune from consumer protection laws and that the FTC will be monitoring the situation.”
Feb 21, 2008
Washington D.C. – Ed Black, President and CEO of the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), is prepared to publicly challenge the Administration’s claims that the failure to renew the “Protect America Act” without adding amnesty for Big Telecom companies has now placed Americans in danger.
“The President’s claims are inaccurate and intentionally misleading,” Black said. “ Assuming it is true that the expiration of the “Protect America Act” would place Americans in danger, it is not true that the inclusion of a new RETROACTIVE immunity provision for presumed illegal domestic spying by major telecommunications companies is necessary, and allowing the law to lapse in order to prevent the truth from coming out in pending lawsuits means the President has chosen the secrecy, cover-up, and the safety of these companies over that of the security of the American people.” Further, it is an insult to most in our industry that implies we are not law abiding, and would fail to patriotically meet our legal obligations to cooperate with the government without retroactive immunity.
Feb 13, 2008
WASHINGTON – Now is the time for the Federal Communication Commission to draw the line to preserve neutral and open access to the Internet, according to the Computer & Communications Industry Association in comments prepared for the FCC.
CCIA President and CEO Ed Black said it is critical for the FCC to enforce the basic principles of its Internet Policy Statement to invigorate the social and economic benefits of the Internet, which are only possible without a gatekeeper
Feb 11, 2008
WASHINGTON - Allowing retroactive immunity for telecom companies alleged to have illegally eavesdropped on US citizens and companies may make it difficult to get a full accounting of the actions taken by government officials and major carriers, the Computer & Communications Industry Association warned the Senate Monday.
In a letter sent to all 100 Senators, CCIA President and CEO Ed Black asked legislators to vote against granting retroactive immunity to companies that may have violated federal communications law by turning over customer information to the U.S. Government. The immunity is a controversial part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before the Senate this week. The Association warned that is it is more critical than ever to protect the privacy and trust of citizens.
File Under:
News
Feb 1, 2008
CCIA SCORES 110TH MORE TECH FRIENDLY
Progress Sends Message to Presidential Candidates
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 1, 2008) – The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) today released its High Tech Scorecard measuring the 110th Congress’ First Session performance on technology and innovation issues facing the U.S. The scorecard ranks Members in both the House of Representatives and Senate according to their votes cast on traditional core CCIA issues such as innovation, U.S. competitiveness, and the tech economy.
Jan 23, 2008
WASHINGTON -- A 2005 study commissioned by the movie industry inflated drastically a key estimate of the economic cost of on-campus file sharing by students, content industry representatives confessed today. According to press reports, the misleading numbers over-represented the cost of college file sharing by a factor of three.
“These erroneous figures have provided a foundation for flawed policy,” CCIA President & CEO Ed Black said. “This secret study influenced important intellectual property policy decisions. Now we see why such studies must be transparent, rather than ‘closed-source.’ "
Jan 10, 2008
Background: Today New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that his office had begun an investigation into accusations of anticompetitive behavior by Intel Corp. in the market for computer microprocessors. The following statement should be attributed to CCIA President and CEO Ed Black:
“CCIA has a long history of seeking to promote innovation in our industry by supporting competition and urging targeted government involvement to halt anticompetitive behavior. Our industry is too important to be dominated by any company obtaining chokepoint control and then misusing the power that comes from such control. CCIA’s past support of actions to curb the anticompetitive behavior of AT&T, IBM, and Microsoft have all resulted in vastly improved competitive markets and greater innovation.
Dec 20, 2007
Washington, DC - The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) today applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its thorough examination of the Google-Doubleclick merger and its subsequent decision not to oppose the transaction.
Dec 20, 2007
Washington, DC - CCIA joined with a broad coalition of non-profit and public interest groups today, filing an amicus curiae (or "friend-of-the-court") brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, where pharmeceutical and biotechnology companies, joined by patent attorneys, are challenging new rules by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) designed to prevent abuse of the patent system. In support of the USPTO, CCIA and other amici urged immediate implementation of the new rules, which impose minimal burdens upon patent applicants in order to prevent well-documented abuses of the patent application process.
Dec 6, 2007
Washington, DC - Responding to yesterday's introduction of H.R. 4279, the "Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007" (PROIPA) in the House of Representatives, Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) President & CEO Ed Black expressed concerns about the legislation. The following statement may be attributed to Mr. Black:
Dec 4, 2007
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) welcomed the United States Senate’s bipartisan approval of H.R. 3688, the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act, but expressed reservations about the continued inclusion of overly broad intellectual property protection provisions in the current free trade agreement template. The Peru agreement is the first of the four pending Free Trade Agreements to be voted on by this Congress, and would immediately make 80 percent of U.S. consumer and industrial exports to Peru duty-free.
File Under:
News
Dec 3, 2007
The Computer & Communications Industry Association commended a Supreme Court order today, which declined an adult content publisher’s petition to reverse an appellate court’s refusal to impose copyright liability on credit card processing intermediaries. The adult publisher Perfect 10 Inc. has sued numerous financial services companies and Internet search providers in its efforts to hold every corner of the Internet responsible for alleged online infringement of Perfect 10’s nude photographs. Perfect 10’s copyright litigiousness has led some to label it a ‘copyright troll.’
CCIA has previously opposed Perfect 10’s copyright theories, including in a brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which defended image search providers against similarly broadly accusations of copyright infringement.
“Currently, safe harbors in the law balance the interests of copyright holders against the interests of the technology and financial services industries, without whom the Internet could not effectively operate,” said CCIA President and CEO Ed Black. “Today’s decision reinforces the fact that intellectual property rights should promote creativity and innovation, rather than never-ending searches for deep pockets.”
A copy of CCIA’s previous brief opposing Perfect 10 is available here.
Nov 15, 2007
Patent holders should not be able to demand royalties from all subsequent buyers once a product is sold into the stream of commerce, the Computer & Communications Industry Association argued in a friend-of-the-court brief before the Supreme Court.
In documents filed earlier this week, CCIA attorneys urged the high court to invalidate so-called “conditional sales” that would give patent rights holders the ability to seek for royalties long after a sale was otherwise complete. For example, under the rule adopted by the lower court, a patent holder can “conditionally” sell a patented component of a product, and then seek patent royalties from subsequent purchasers, such as the product vendor, retailer, and even the end-user. Such arrangements eviscerate long-standing legal precedent and threaten the well being of the high-tech sector, CCIA’s brief argued, which depends on predictable transactions and the recombination of technologies long after the initial sale.
Nov 14, 2007
WASHINGTON -- The Computer & Communications Industry Association praised passage of House legislation that promises to dramatically improve the nation’s ability to identify places unserved by high-speed Internet connections.
The “Broadband Census of America Act of 2007,” (H.R. 3919), sponsored by Chairman Edward J. Markey (D-MA), reflects growing bipartisan consensus on the need for universal availability of affordable broadband access, a basic infrastructure for the 21st century. A similar measure, The Broadband Data Improvement Act (S. 1492), awaits action on the Senate floor.
Oct 31, 2007
No Blanket Immunity For Illegal Surveillance, Black Says
Washington, D.C. - Proposed reforms to the federal government’s wiretapping powers must protect the Constitution while providing industry with clear rules regarding under what circumstances it must aid government surveillance efforts, CCIA President & CEO Ed Black told a Senate panel this morning.
Black also testified against retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies who allegedly illegally spied on Americans at the government’s request, arguing that promises of immunity would allow government agents to coerce other companies into illegal acts in the future.
Oct 30, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black will testify Wednesday morning Oct. 31 before the Senate Judiciary Committee on efforts to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Among other things, Black is expected to ask the Committee to refrain from granting immunity to companies that may have participated in illegal, government requested wiretapping, especially before full disclosure has occurred.
Oct 26, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Background: Sen. John McCain is using 19 seconds of video featuring himself as part of a campaign ad. The snippet, taken from a debate hosted by Fox News, clearly lies within the realm of lawful and fair use of Fox News’ broadcast. Fox, nonetheless, has demanded that the McCain campaign cease using footage of its own candidate. The following should be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black.
“Fox’s assertion that Sen. John McCain has violated its copyrights by using 19 seconds of a presidential debate in a campaign ad shows once again how far the credibility of Big Content has fallen.
Oct 23, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Background: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently declined to open a formal antitrust investigation into allegations of anti-competitive behavior by Intel Corporation. The following statement should be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“U.S. officials charged with enforcing our competition laws seem today far less willing to execute their duties under law than their counterparts in Europe and Asia, in particular as they relate to our vitally important technology industries. The FTC's decision not to formally investigate serious concerns over business practices in the microchip industry reflects this apparent lack of enthusiasm.
Oct 16, 2007
Background: Google Inc. today announced on its policy blog that it would begin examining video clips uploaded to the YouTube video service for copyright infringement following intense pressure to do so by copyright holders. Among other things, the company will compare key components of videos uploaded to the system by third parties to copyrighted content submitted by content owners.
In case of a match, YouTube is expected to block video clips that appear to infringe. A dispute resolution process would likely follow, one which may in some cases allow a reposting. However, the details of the process and operations by which YouTube, the uploader, and the content copyright claimant will interact have not been fully revealed.
The following statement should be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black:
“This service goes above and beyond what companies such as YouTube are legally required to do. This service could harm the dynamic and democratic flow of information on the Internet if implemented without due regard for the interests of consumers and other authors and artists.
Sep 20, 2007
Washington, D.C. - The Computer & Communications Industry Association today applauded two opinions of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that limited the scope of patentable subject matter, In re Nuitjen and In re Comiskey.
“These are landmark decisions, said CCIA President Ed Black. “Since the Federal Circuit abolished the exclusion for business methods in the 1998 State Street decision, it has often been assumed that there are no limits – that you can patent anything.”
The Comiskey opinion states unequivocally “the application of human intelligence to the solution of practical problems is not in and of itself patentable.” It suggests that tangible technology must be involved –
Sep 12, 2007
WASHINGTON D.C. - Fair Use exceptions to U.S. copyright laws are responsible for more than $4.5 trillion in annual revenue for the United States, according to the findings of an unprecedented economic study released today. According to the study commissioned by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and conducted in accordance with a World Intellectual Property Organization methodology, companies benefiting from limitations on copyright-holders’ exclusive rights, such as “fair use” – generate substantial revenue, employ millions of workers, and, in 2006, represented one-sixth of total U.S. GDP.
The exhaustive report, released today at a briefing on Capitol Hill, quantifies for the first time ever the critical contributions of fair use to the U.S. economy. The timing proves particularly important as the debates over copyright law in the digital age move increasingly to center stage on Capitol Hill.
Sep 7, 2007
Washington, D.C. - The House passage today of the Patent Reform Act of 2007 promises a better future for U.S. innovators and a revitalization of the intellectual property system that is critical to the nation’s economy.
Today’s vote reaffirms that intellectual property law must “promote the progress of science and useful arts.” Today’s action is a step towards restoring balance to the patent system and rewarding those who create.
Aug 22, 2007
Washington, DC - The Computer & Communications Industry Association announced its support for the new rules issued today by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) on patent applications. “This shows two things,” said CCIA President Ed Black. “It means that the PTO is serious about putting its house in order and getting its enormous backlog under control. It also shows that the Office is willing to discipline some of the abuses that have spurred demands for reform”.
The PTO has a backlog of over a million pending applications. The new rules address several practices that divert PTO’s resources away from tackling genuinely new inventions. These practices, which have become increasingly common over the years, include filing of “continuations” (which allow applicants to restart the process over and over), applications with very large numbers of claims, and overlapping applications.
