Update copyright and patent law

Patent law under review, copyright front is quiet

Updated: Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

As we reported in Promise 398 , Congress is considering a patent law overhaul, but has not yet voted on a final bill. The copyright front has been fairly quiet, however. The most significant legislation we were able to find involving copyright focused on satellite television, not overall copyright issues.

On Dec. 15, Vice President Joe Biden hosted a round table on enforcing laws that protect intellectual property against piracy. Biden was joined by other officials, including Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and FBI director Robert Mueller, as well as CEOs from major media companies, union representatives and legal experts. The White House said the meeting brought together stakeholders "to discuss ways to combat intellectual property piracy in this rapidly changing technological age ."

This isn't to say that everyone interested in copyright is happy with the administration's approach, especially groups who believe that copyright law needs to take into account the need for public discourse and innovation. In April, a group that included libraries and public interest organizations asked the Obama administration to appoint officials who "reflect the diversity of stakeholders affected by IP (intellectual property) policy, and that your administration create offices devoted to promoting innovation and free expression within the relevant agencies."

Still, because of the progress on patent laws and the meeting on enforcing copyright laws, we rate this promise In the Works.

Sources: U.S. Department of Commerce, Secretary Locke Joins Vice President Biden in White House Roundtable on Enforcing Laws Against IP Piracy , Dec. 15, 2009
U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright Legislation in the 111th Congress , accessed Dec. 30, 2009

Public Knowledge, Nice Thoughts and Naughty Thoughts About Broadband , Dec. 23, 2009

Public Knowledge, Letter to President Obama on copyright appointments , April 2, 20090

CNET, Copyright debate heats up over Obama appointments , April 20, 2009

Copyright Alliance, The Creators’ Letter to President Obama , April 20, 2009

Thomas, S 515 , accessed Dec. 28, 2009

Congressional Quarterly, Commerce Department Negotiates Patent Law With Judiciary Chairmen , Oct. 30, 2009 (subscription required)

The New York Times, op-ed, Inventing a Better Patent System , Nov. 16, 2009

The New York Times, letters to the editor, A Fresh Look at Patents and Innovation , Nov. 28, 2009

PatentDocs blog, posts on patent legislation