News and Events

Brussels – The European Commission has proposed its long-awaited telecommunications reforms Wednesday evening, designed to bring simpler rules for telecom companies offering service throughout Europe and giving consumers more rights to reach the platforms and content of their choice on the Internet. The Computer & Communications Industry Association today praised the proposal as it creates an open climate for information and a more open market for online companies and future Internet innovators.

Washington - As the economy shows increasing signs of recovery and growth, many Internet companies see overseas markets as the next stage of that growth. But to fully realize that growth for the technology industry, laws would need to be modernized so companies can expand trade deals rather than lawsuits.

Washington - News reports today about the extent of the National Security Agency’s efforts to subvert encryption protections for Internet traffic is disturbing, but not surprising. The Computer & Communications Industry Association has warned in previous Congressional testimony of the need for better checks and balances to protect privacy rights on the Web. CCIA said Friday in light of this week’s latest revelations the nation must redraw its boundaries around surveillance.

Brussels - The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), the international organisation for the Internet industries, is today releasing two studies about the 21st century consumer and broadband. These precede the likely adoption of a Regulation on telecommunications by the European Commission next week.

Brussels - A week before the European Commission is expected to adopt a telecommunications Regulation, CCIA is releasing two consumer surveys it commissioned on switching costs and broadband consumption. The studies offer details on what services create demand for higher speed access and why rules may be needed to ensure hundreds of millions of Europeans have recourse when Internet access providers block or prioritise content.

The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) was slightly encouraged today to see steps being taken toward transparency, as new reports were ordered by the Director of National Intelligence, but is increasingly worried that the level of commitment to transparency is inadequate. 

CCIA was disappointed to see negotiations break down between the government and Google and Microsoft surrounding the companies’ First Amendment right to publish aggregate statistics about surveillance orders they receive. Government overreach in the area of the First Amendment is seriously disturbing.

CCIA congratulates Facebook on the release yesterday of their first transparency report. The report, which lists the numbers of government requests for information about Facebook users, will serve to increase users’ trust.  Reports such as these have become popular among web companies that store users’ data for them and Facebook’s report helps add to that growing body of information.

The Government Accountability Office has released a new study on patent litigation and patent trolls Thursday. The study finds evidence that patent trolls are a growing problem; it also finds that a main reason they are able to abuse the legal system is low quality patents.

Technology trade associations have sent a joint letter Tuesday asking the White House to take three key steps to better protect civil liberties and innovation as the government collects private data on citizens. The Computer & Communications Industry Association has been a longtime voice against government surveillance without checks and balances, and joined other associations at a recent meeting at the White House to express its concerns about the scope of the surveillance programs and lack of transparency.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association has released a new research paper today, "The Search Fixation: Infringement, Search Results, and Online Content".  The first of a series of research pieces to better inform public policy, this paper finds that recent claims by the recording industry that search engines are a major driver of traffic to copyright-infringing websites are exaggerated. CCIA’s research paper indicates that search engines are not a major tool in the infringer’s toolbox. 

The following is a statement of Ed Black, President & CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) in response to the U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman’s decision to veto the International Trade Commission's (ITC's) import ban against Apple products:

“The Administration’s unprecedented decision to veto an ITC "Section 337" import ban against Apple for infringing Samsung’s intellectual property is a disruptive and potentially dangerous development that calls into question the fairness of our trading regime and could undermine the way US companies are treated globally.  

Two House and Senate Judiciary committee leaders on privacy issues have introduced legislation to add transparency requirements to the law used by the NSA to carry out surveillance on Americans. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., has introduced the "Surveillance Transparency Act of 2013," and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.,“The Surveillance Order Reporting Act.”

A new paper on copyright gives an extensive and balanced overview of the problems and challenges currently being handled by the courts, policymakers and within the private sector.  But it gets it backwards when it comes to recommendations by recommending government action in areas the private sector is already addressing, and recommending little action where government responses are needed.

CCIA joined nearly 450 organizations and companies in a letter to House Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asking for immigration reform. The letter says the three decades old immigration system is "incapable of being responsive to an ever-changing national economy and hypercompetitive global marketplace." 

Companies and consumers’ groups had until Monday to file comments appealing to the FCC not to approve Verizon’s request to offer customers in New York and New Jersey an alternative fixed wireless service in place of landline service after 2012 storms destroyed the copper infrastructure.

A federal appeals court has wisely blocked an attempt by Fox to cut off customer access to a DISH Network service that skips TV commercials, saying the Fox legal argument was not strong enough to issue a preliminary injunction in the case. The Ninth Circuit upheld the district court’s ruling that plaintiffs would be unlikely to succeed on their claims of both direct copyright infringement and secondary copyright infringement, and also breach of contract.

Reps. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Judy Chu, D-Calif., introduced the Stopping the Offensive Use of Patents Act (STOP Act) H.R. 2766 Monday. The bipartisan bill is similar to the Patent Quality Improvement Act that Senator Schumer introduced in the Senate, and would expand the Covered Business Method review program at the Patent and Trademark Office. 

In a letter to President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder and key House and Senate leaders, a diverse group of more than 50 trade associations, companies, public interest organizations and investors call for more transparency when the government issues security-related data requests.

CCIA joined dozens of trade associations from the American Bankers Association to the National Retail Federation to NCTA asking House and Senate leaders to pass comprehensive legislation aimed at patent trolls. In the letter Wednesday morning, those harmed by patent trolls told lawmakers that since 2005, the number of defendants targeted by patent trolls has quadrupled and that this activity cost the US economy $80 billion in 2011.

Reps. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas and Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., introduced a bipartisan bill in the House Wednesday afternoon to help mitigate the impact of lawsuits from patent trolls. The bill is H.R. 2639, The Patent Litigation and Innovation Act of 2013. This bill is noteworthy as the first bill introduced in this Congress that specifically helps innocent purchasers who get sued by patent trolls.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association applauds the Senate for approving S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act.  This comprehensive immigration reform measure contains provisions that increase availability of green cards and H-1B visas, enabling U.S. technology companies to hire and keep the skilled foreign workers they need to ensure that the U.S. remains the global center of innovation. 

World Intellectual Property Organization member states have agreed on treaty language that will mean millions of visually impaired people around the world can gain access to special-formatted books. The agreement after years of haggling over copyright issues came during a diplomatic conference in Morocco going on throughout the past two weeks.

CCIA and The American Antitrust Institute will be hosting a panel discussion event, "Competition Law & Patent Assertion Entities: What Antitrust Enforcers Can Do" this Thursday at the National Press Club. With a special keynote address by FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, our panel of government enforcers, industry veterans, and antitrust experts will be discussing the unique role antitrust regulators can play in combating the growing problem of patent troll. 

Can't make it in person today? Watch our live webcast or follow @PatentProgress as they live-tweet the event #PAEantitrust. 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association today joined more than 100 technology sector executives in a letter calling on the U.S. Senate to support passage of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.  “Senate approval of S. 744 is essential if our economy will continue to foster innovation and invigorate many U.S. business sectors through an educated and highly skilled workforce of domestic and foreign-born talent.” 

The following statement can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:

Recent reports regarding NSA access to phone call metadata and online communications and data have highlighted the continued importance of government transparency. The Computer & Communications Industry Association commends the specific requests of both senators and companies today that would help.

Patent assertion entities, commonly referred to as patent trolls, have received a lot of attention recently.  In the last five years, lawsuits by patent assertion entities have increased more than 250% and now account for more than 60% of all patent litigation.

The White House just issued a series of executive orders and proposals in an effort to curb the growing troll problem and protect competition and innovation. Congress is also considering legislation to provide additional relief. The powers of our nation's antitrust regulators, however, are often overlooked.

A document leaked to the news media indicates government agencies requested records about every Verizon customer over at least a three- month period using a controversial power sanctified by secret court order. The order demanded that Verizon turn over metadata that includes what phone number was called, what number initiated the call, for how long, and potentially where the phone was located.

The White House is scheduled to announce several executive orders and legislative proposals today aimed at patent trolls, who harm U.S. businesses and the economy. President Obama has recognized that the nation can’t curb abuse of the patent system by so-called trolls without addressing problems with software patents, and this afternoon he’s offering reforms.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association outlined growing threats and policies that curb digital trade in testimony at a USTR hosted hearing Wednesday afternoon on the US/EU’s free trade agreement known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). 

For too long problems with our patent system have been slowing innovation and costing companies millions of dollars a year in legal costs from companies whose main product is lawsuits. This week the Computer & Communications Industry Association has sent letters thanking two senators for their patent reform initiatives. CCIA applauded Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, for his introduction of the Patent Abuse Reduction Act of 2013, and CCIA praised Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., for his introduction of the Patent Quality Improvement Act of 2013.

A measure to improve access to highly skilled workers cleared a major hurdle as the Senate Judiciary Committee passed its immigration reform legislation Tuesday evening. Shortly before the overall vote, Senator Hatch offered an amendment to the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act that would benefit highly skilled workers.

CCIA and IDEA invite you to join us on Thursday, May 16 at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum in Geneva, where we will be hosting a workshop on the economic dimensions of Internet governance. The workshop, which will run from 10:00am-12:00pm EST (4:00pm-6:00pm Geneva), will be broadcast on the web and includes a remote participation option. The event details are as follows:

The European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association published a study late Wednesday offering policy recommendations to grow the European telecommunications sector titled “A Future Policy Framework for Growth.”

The Computer & Communications Industry Association has added to its strong intellectual property team by hiring Matthew Levy as Patent Counsel. Levy's legal background includes working for Hogan & Hartson; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett, & Dunner LLP and most recently for Cloudigy Law, PLLC.  He will handle legal, policy advocacy, and regulatory matters related to patents and be a lead blogger for CCIA’s Patent Progress.

The National Academy of Sciences has released advanced copies of its long awaited study, “Copyright in the Digital Era: Building Evidence for Policy.” The study provides a roadmap of how copyright laws have changed as distribution of content moves online. 

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, has announced a proposal that would require the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to review lawsuits brought by patent trolls before they head to court. Schumer said today that he would formally introduce legislation aimed at patent trolls next week.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association praised President Obama’s decision to nominate Tom Wheeler as FCC Chairman.

The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:

A task force is reportedly working on legislation to require tech companies to allow law enforcement to intercept online communications with their customers, according to news reports. The proposal would expand existing law by fining companies for the first time when they don’t comply.

Email and other online communications are a step closer to greater privacy protections after a Senate Judiciary Committee vote today to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. The updates, which still need to be passed by the full Senate and House, will more clearly extend 4^th Amendment protections to the online world. That would mean law enforcement would need to get a warrant before demanding email and other online content.

A trial court resolved outstanding issues in the long-running Viacom v. YouTube copyright case today, exonerating the online video service and dismissing the complaint.  The plaintiffs wanted YouTube penalized for infringement on its platform committed by users, notwithstanding that YouTube had removed content upon complaint -- on one occasion, even taking down 100,000 videos overnight.  

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to mark up its Internet governance bill Wednesday.  The new version of the legislation restates U.S. policy and says the United States is committed to preserving and advancing the current multi-stakeholder model for governing the Internet.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association welcomes the introduction of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity & Immigration Modernization Act.  We commend Senators Schumer, McCain, Durbin, Graham, Menendez, Rubio, Bennet and Flake for their fortitude in taking up the difficult challenge of immigration reform and beginning the actual legislative process. 

An online service that allows monthly subscribers to record TV programs and watch them later on any Internet connected device won a key court victory today. The Court of Appeals for the Second upheld a lower court ruling that went against those arguing that Aereo’s service breaks copyright law.

Last Friday, the Senate voted to include a non-binding amendment to the FY 2014 Budget Resolution that supports the enforcement of state and local use tax laws. Proponents of the Marketplace Fairness Act are attempting to portray this vote as signifying support for legislation that would impose tax collection burdens on small Internet businesses. However, in light of the vague wording of the amendment, as well as the passionate objections made by such opponents as Sen. Max Baucus (R-Mont.), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), it is clear that this issue remains controversial and is by no means settled. An amendment in support of use tax enforcement does not equate to any kind of consensus on HOW that enforcement is to be achieved.

Tech companies are welcoming legislation introduced today to update electronic privacy laws that were written before most people carried cell phones. The GPS Act introduced in both the House and Senate would fix a geolocation privacy loophole that curbs both civil liberties and the growth of this industry.

Proponents of the Marketplace Fairness Act are preparing to offer an amendment to the FY 2014 Senate budget resolution in support of Internet sales tax collection. The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has long opposed the concept of imposing tax collection burdens on small Internet businesses, which are some of the most promising candidates for future economic growth, and we specifically oppose its inappropriate inclusion in the budget resolution process.

The Supreme Court has issued a ruling in a crucial case that resolves whether people can resell or donate copyrighted property they own like books, CDs, DvDs and other physical goods. In a 6-3 decision, the Justices reversed a Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruling and supported a position by the tech industry, libraries, nonprofits and retailers that the first sale doctrine does apply to copyrighted works made abroad.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association had filed an amicus brief in the case arguing that the appeals court ruling should be reversed. The brief stated: “Regardless of the place of manufacturing, once a copyright owner has sold his property, he has exhausted his exclusive statutory right to control its distribution. The Second Circuit’s holding is to the contrary, does not comply with the Copyright Act and will precipitate a host of adverse policy results.” 

The FCC’s Wireless Bureau has approved T-Mobile’s merger with Metro PCS, saying the deal would benefit the public interest with better choices for mobile broadband. 

CCIA today endorsed a bid by the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) to remove any specific deadline for full compliance with the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement. As a technology trade organization, CCIA believes premature implementation of stepped up protections would be counterproductive, adding costs to public health systems and other administrative burdens at a moment when these countries are contending with human and technological barriers to modernization. 

The following statement is in response to President Obama naming Edith Ramirez to the post of FTC chairwoman. It can be attributed to Ed Black, the President and CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association.

Now Featuring additional panelists and introductory remarks by Senator Mike Lee!

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A House Democrat and Republican have introduced legislation to help protect innovators from patent trolls. The bill, dubbed the SHIELD Act (Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes Act), co-authored by Congressmen Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, would allow tech companies to recover litigation costs of lawsuits where the plaintiff’s legal claims had little chance of succeeding.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association applauds Senators Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Mark Warner, D-Va., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo., for introducing the Startup Act 3.0, a farsighted proposal to unleash the power of U.S.-educated entrepreneurs to create jobs.  In particular, the bill’s focus on attracting and retaining entrepreneurial talent through the creation of Entrepreneur’s Visas and STEM Visas is a keen recognition of the critical need for us to actively engage in the global competition for talent. 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association continues to oppose legislation, such as the Marketplace Fairness Act introduced today, which would impose burdensome tax collecting requirements on online retailers -- regardless of physical presence.  While we understand and share the desire for state and local governments to be adequately funded in these times, we believe this is the wrong approach.  Far from being fair or leveling the playing field, such legislation would create a new imbalance by requiring small online retailers to administer a tax collection regime for multiple jurisdictions, while brick-and-mortar stores need only collect for the jurisdiction of its physical location.       

Washington - The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) welcomes the introduction the Immigration Innovation Act today. CCIA has long promoted skilled immigration reform as critical to maintaining and strengthening the global competitiveness of U.S. companies in an increasingly innovative economy.  This bill includes such reforms as:  increasing the H-1B visa cap and making it market-flexible; exempting advanced STEM degree holders from both the H-1B and employment-based green card cap; rolling over unused employment-based green card numbers. 

As privacy advocates mark Data Privacy Day Monday, the Computer & Communications Industry Association is calling on Congress to update the nation’s 27 year old laws governing when and how the government can obtain peoples email and other online documents.

Brussels - The Computer & Communication Industry Association has released the latest economic study it commissioned, “The Sky is Rising,” just ahead of this year’s MIDEM music business conference in France. The latest study from Floor 64, co-authored by Mike Masnick and Michael Ho, is a follow up that broadens last year’s U.S.-focused analysis of entertainment industry economic data over the past decade. Using data from the entertainment businesses in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the UK, the study illustrates how the sky is not falling for the entertainment industry, but actually rising. 

After last year’s release of the study 'The Sky is Rising' looking at the global, economic state of the entertainment industry, the Computer & Communication Industry Association (CCIA) is convening a media briefing Thursday  15:00 CET/ 9am EST to present the main findings of our new, European study focusing on the entertainment businesses in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the UK. Mike Masnick, of Floor 64 and co-author of our study will discuss findings and implications of the study as they relate to the music, film, book and video game markets.

Computer & Communications Industry Association Vice President Cathy Sloan will be part of a telecommunications panel discussion at 11:30am at the State of the Net conference sponsored by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee at the Capitol Hyatt today. The panelists including author Larry Downes, Corie Wright of Netflix and University of Pennsylvania law school professor Christopher Yoo asks “Should Congress Rewrite the Telecom Act?”

Many in Washington and around the country are celebrating a key battle in the war against Internet freedom today – the one year anniversary of the defeat of the Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA. The Computer & Communications Industry Association had been an early opponent of the bill and its two previous incarnations. We join in celebrating this step that woke up Internet users, and we urge all those who we fought this battle to remain focused on the many challenges to Internet freedom and openness that we will continue to face.

The following can be attributed to Computer & Communications Industry Association President & CEO Ed Black:

With the news that the Federal Trade Commission has closed its antitrust investigations of Google, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) is convening a panel of experts to discuss the outcome of the 20-month investigation. Our panel of legal experts will discuss the core issues that were examined by the FTC as part of their investigation as well as the implications of the announcement for future innovation and competition in the fast evolving high tech market.

Who:      Moderator:

Ed Black, President & CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)

Speakers:

Jorge Contreras, Associate Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law and well-known patent and standardization expert.

Eric Goldman, Professor of Law at Santa Clara University School of Law and director of the school’s High Tech Law Institute.

Glenn Manishin, Partner at Troutman Sanders, he represented several competitive software trade associations in the United States v. Microsoft case.

Today, the FTC announced the closure of its 19-month antitrust investigation of Google.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association is pleased the Senate has reconfirmed the nomination of FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn for a full five-year term. She had been serving the remainder of former Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein’s term.