Appeals Court Patent Ruling Could Hamstring Tech Markets, Cause Consumer Uncertainty, CCIA Tells Supreme Court

File Under: News, 2007, News - Unlinked

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.

CCIA Praises House Passage of Broadband Bill

File Under: News, 2007, News - Unlinked

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.

CCIA Urges Supreme Court to Put a Stop to Obvious Patents

File Under: 2006, News - Unlinked

Aug 22, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Computer & Communications Industry Association today urged the Supreme Court of the United States to restore the standard of what is patentable under U.S. patent law. That "nonobviousness" standard, the brief argues, has been inappropriately lowered by decisions of the specialized patent court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.