Revised Patent Litigation Abuse Bill a Big Step Forward
Last week, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, released as second discussion draft patent bill that addresses the problems caused by litigation abuses brought by Patent Assertion entities, also referred to as patent trolls. The discussion draft is a revision of an earlier discussion draft. It includes provisions on pleading disclosures in patent infringement complaints, the awarding of attorneys’ fees, joinder of interested parties to a suit, limitations on the timing and costs associated with discovery, disclosure of real-parties-in-interest, revisions to the covered business methods program at the USPTO and several other changes and studies. SIIA welcomed the release of the patent reform discussion draft, recognizing the revised draft as a crucial legislative step toward achieving strong and effective patent litigation reform this year. More in Reuters.

SIIA Makes Policy Recommendations for the Internet of Things
Yesterday, SIIA’s David LeDuc, participated in an important discussion at the National Press Club about building trust and confidence with regard to the “Internet of Things.” At the Internet of Things Global Summit, LeDuc explained that we are at a key inflection point in the evolution of information technology (IT), as it has transformed from a specialized tool into a pervasive influence on nearly every aspect of everyday life. Highlighting the tremendous economic and social value of data-driven innovation, LeDuc proposed a policy framework for maximizing the beneficial outcomes of the IoT. Read more on SIIA’s Digital Discourse Blog.

SIIA Joins Call for Surveillance Transparency Legislation
On Monday, SIIA joined with a broad group of tech companies and civil rights groups including Google, Apple, Twitter and the ACLU in support of legislation that would improve transparency around government surveillance of the Internet. In a letter to Senate and House Judiciary Committee leaders, the group urged consideration of Sen. Al Franken’s (D-MN) Surveillance Transparency Act of 2013, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s (D-CA)Surveillance Order Reporting Act of 2013, proposals that would clarify that companies have the right to publish basic statistics about government demands for user data that they receive. Such transparency is important not only for the American people, who are entitled to have an informed public debate about the appropriateness of that surveillance, but also for international users of U.S.-based service providers who are concerned about privacy and security. Read more on SIIA’s Digital Discourse Blog.

David LeDuc is Senior Director, Public Policy at SIIA. He focuses on e-commerce, privacy, cyber security, cloud computing, open standards, e-government and information policy. Follow the SIIA public policy team on Twitter at @SIIAPolicy.