CCIA Urges Supreme Court to Address Business Method Patents

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Dec 23, 2005

Continuing its campaign to reform patent law, the Computer & Communications Industry Association told the Supreme Court today that the credibility of the U.S. patent system is at risk unless meaningful limits are placed on what is “patentable.”

CCIA Calls Upon Supreme Court to Rein in Patent Law

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Sep 27, 2005

Innovation is at risk unless federal courts change the way they handle patent litigation, the Computer & Communications Industry Association told the Supreme Court today.

In a filing presented late Monday, CCIA attorneys urged Justices to hear an appeal of an earlier ruling that enjoined the online auction company eBay from using the fixed price purchase feature allegedly covered by patents owned by MercExchange LLC.

Massachusetts Commitment to Open Standards Is Enlightened Say CCIA, OSAIA

File Under: 2005, Open Source

Sep 9, 2005

WASHINGTON — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should proceed with a proposal to ensure that vital information and documents will be open and available for all its citizens, the Open Source and Industry Alliance and Computer & Communications Industry Association said last night.

Federal Court Ruling Endangers High-Tech Innovation, Open Source Software

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Sep 2, 2005

A federal appeals court in St. Louis has dealt yet another blow to high tech innovation, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and Open Source and Industry Alliance (OSAIA) said today.

CCIA: FCC Sets Fairer Standards for High-Speed Internet Competitors

File Under: 2005, Telecommunications

Aug 5, 2005

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to abolish regulations requiring phone companies to share their high-speed Internet connections with competitors is a fair and logical interpretation of recent court rulings, but may require monitoring to insure adequate competition, the Computer & Communications Industry Association said today.

In a 4-0 ruling this morning, the Commission found that telephone companies’ high-speed digital subscriber line offerings are properly classified as “information services with a telecommunications component,” rather than “telecommunications systems” under FCC regulations. As such, telephone companies will no longer be required to give broadband competitors access to their lines. The FCC made the ruling in light of increased competition from non-phone competitors such as cable, satellite, wireless and powerline broadband providers, as well as a Supreme Court decision that gave similar protection to Cable companies.

CCIA Welcomes House Passage of DR-CAFTA, but Wary of IP Provisions

File Under: 2005, International Trade

Jul 29, 2005

The U.S. House of Representatives voted last night to pass the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). As a long-time supporter of free trade, the Computer & Communications Industry Association applauds passage of DR-CAFTA and the reduction of trade barriers and expansion of market access for the U.S. technology sector that it will provide. CCIA believes that the agreement is an important sign of the U.S. commitment to free trade and will build momentum for an expansive and inclusive approach to trade going forward.

However, CCIA is concerned that DR-CAFTA is the latest example of what we see as a disturbing trend in bilateral trade agreements. CCIA believes that trade agreements should be focused on true trade issues, and should not emphasize domestic commercial regulatory issues. We have been increasingly wary of the inclusion of overly broad intellectual property protections in free trade agreements. The micromanagement of other nations’ domestic laws is unwise and is being used to create legal regimes more restrictive than U.S. domestic law.

CIA Opposes Use of Country-of-Birth as Deemed Export License Criterion

File Under: 2005

Jun 29, 2005

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) today submitted comments to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) opposing a proposed revision of deemed export regulations that govern technology transfers to foreign national employees. The rule change would base requirement of an export license on the foreign national’s country of birth rather than their most recent citizenship or permanent residency.

CCIA represents large, medium and small companies in the high technology products and services sector, including computer hardware and software, electronic commerce, telecommunications and Internet products and services – companies with more than $250 billion in annual revenues.

CCIA has long worked to ease or remove unreasonable export controls on high-tech products. While CCIA strongly agrees with the need to protect our national security, we believe it is important to guard against measures that would unreasonably limit or burden the legitimate export business of technology companies.

CCIA Calls For U.S. Patent Reforms

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Jun 28, 2005

June 9, 2005 — The US Patent system must change in order to assure fair competition and continued innovation, the Computer & Communications Industry Association said today.

In a written statement delivered to the House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, The Association called on Congress to change the nation''s laws so that:

*Patents are, in fact, novel, useful and not obvious.* There is no link between Patent Office finances and application approval.* More than a single, specialty court has jurisdiction over the nation''s patents.* Patent examiners have the funding and resources they need to issue high- quality patents.* Third parties may submit "prior art," or evidence of similar inventions that may support or invalidate a patent claim.

European Software Proposal Will Hinder Innovation If Not Fixed, CCIA tells European Parliament

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Jun 27, 2005

RUSSELS JUNE 20, 2005 — A proposal to unify European patent law under a single legal regime will hinder innovation and add to the surging number of questionable software patents in Europe, the Computer & Communications Industry Association said in a report released this morning (Attached).

The “Directive on Computer-Implemented Inventions” is supposed to protect patent technology within physical devices such as cell phones, while continuing an increasingly ignored ban on patents for general-purpose software.

CCIA Tells Senate Appropriations Committee to Exclude the Broadcast Flag

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Jun 27, 2005

The Computer & Communications Industry Association sent the following letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee in opposition to the broadcast flag. Several reports have indicated the Committee may adopt a broadcast flag that would effectively give the FCC jurisdiction over every product capable of recording, displaying, storing or otherwise processing a high-definition broadcast. This is an onerous regulatory requirement that would put the FCC in the business of choosing winners and losers - by requiring the Commission to pass judgement on present and future technology designs. CCIA is highly opposed to the flag and urges the Committee to reject it.

Digital TV Ruling a Victory for Consumers and Innovation, Halts Expanded Regulation CCIA Says

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Jun 27, 2005

Background: Today the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down a Federal Communications Commission attempt to expand its regulatory reach through a regulation that would have seriously disrupted consumers’ ability to make and share excerpts taken from over-the-air high-definition television broadcasts.

Regulators had told high-tech hardware makers to implement the so-called "broadcast flag" in order to give media companies expanded control over the content that is broadcast. The court struck down the FCC decision on the grounds that it had no right to regulate electronic devices such as PC television tuner cards without the express permission of Congress.

Court Creates Uncertainty for the High-Tech Industry

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Jun 27, 2005

The US Supreme Court has introduced yet another layer of uncertainty to America’s high-tech economy, the Computer & Communications Industry Association said today.

Justices in a 9-0 [and a 3-3-3] decision this morning ruled that high-tech companies can be sued for copyright infringement any time they distribute a device "with the object of promoting its use to infringe copyright, as shown by clear expression or other affirmative steps." The Court also rejected pleas to introduce a "balancing test" that would ban technologies simply because many people used them to infringe. CCIA, was an amicus in the case, MGM vs. Grokster, together with the Consumer Electronics Association and the Home Recording Rights Coalition.

US Copyright Office Should Support Browser Choice, Open Standards, CCIA and OSAIA Say

File Under: 2005, Copyright

Apr 22, 2005

The U.S. Copyright Office should assure that one of its key websites works with all popular browsers, the Open Source and Industry Alliance (OSAIA) said in comments filed with the Office today. Indeed, the Office should be prepared to accept paper submissions when necessary until compatibility problems can be fixed, association officials said.

Xyrous Communications Admitted to CCIA

File Under: 2005, Telecommunications

Mar 10, 2005

The Computer & Communications Industry Association announced today that Xyrous Communications has been approved for membership and will become a member of CCIA. CCIA is excited to be able to work with Xyrous. CCIA’s services and leading policy role will extend the company’s reach, and the expertise of the company will help ensure the necessary insight as VOIP and related policy issues are developed by CCIA. Said CCIA President and CEO Ed Black, “Xyrous is an important provider of VoIP with an innovative business plan. Their international focus and diverse customer base is a welcome component to our membership.”

CCIA TELLS SUPREME COURT: COPYRIGHT CARTEL THREATENS INNOVATION

Mar 1, 2005

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), as part of the High Tech Coalition, filed a friend-of-the-court brief today with the Supreme Court in the copyright case of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, LTD, in an effort to deny the entertainment industry veto power over the next generation of consumer and high-tech devices and services.

CCIA: EU Patent Proposal Comes at a Cost of Innovation and Competition

Feb 15, 2005

A European Union proposal to give software developers significantly greater patent rights would likely come at the cost of innovation and competition, the Computer & Communications Industry Association told top EU ministers.

In a letter sent Monday evening, CCIA President Ed Black told members of the Council of Ministers that the Council’s version of the controversial European Directive on Computer Implemented Inventions would lead to numerous, unjustified patents on many of the most basic building blocks of software. Black warned of the consequences of unchecked patenting.

CCIA ON MICROSOFT’S NOT APPEALING REMEDY RULING IN EUROPE

File Under: 2005, AntiTrust

Jan 25, 2005

Washington, DC — Microsoft made the right decision in not appealing a European Court order compelling it to offer a version of Windows without its proprietary version of Media Player, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said today. This decision further confirms the wisdom of the European Commission’s handling of the case.

KEEP COMPETITION, REJECT FALSE COPYRIGHT CLAIMS, OSAIA AND CCIA TELL FEDERAL COURT

Jan 25, 2005

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and its subsidiary, The Open Source and Industry Alliance (OSAIA), filed a friend-of-the-court brief Monday in the Federal Appeals Court in St. Louis responding to yet another threat to innovation, open source, and competition in the software industry.

CCIA Praises Sun Microsystems Announcement on Solaris

Jan 25, 2005

Sun Microsystems took a major step today to increase the ongoing acceptance of open source software. Sun’s release of its Solaris code – over 9,000 total lines of code – will provide new tools for innovation and go a long way towards creating acceptance of open source software.

Sun’s new Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) requires developers to give back to the community any modifications made to the open code. But the license also has flexibility, allowing any developer that combines the software (without modifying it) to another product to not release the changes. Even if that new product is released in a proprietary format. This will allow the software to grow and gain greater user acceptance quickly and under a variety of platforms.