Low-quality software patents and certain copyright laws have...
Low-quality software patents and certain copyright laws have hurt competition and suppressed small-business growth, said the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in comments filed Tuesday to the White House (http://bit.ly/1rndK6q) in connection with the administration’s efforts to update its Strategy for…
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American Innovation (http://1.usa.gov/1quuBz3). A June Supreme Court decision heightened the criteria for software patents (CD June 20 p13), but legislation like the House-passed Innovation Act (HR-3309) is needed, EFF said. The digital privacy advocate also pointed to Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), “ostensibly intended to stop copyright infringers from defeating anti-piracy protections added to copyrighted works,” EFF said. “In practice, however, these provisions have been used to stifle a wide array of legitimate activities.” Several markets suffered as a result -- laser printer toner cartridges, videogame console accessories and mobile phones. The organization pressed the White House to support the Unlocking Technology Act (HR-1892), which hasn’t moved out of committee (http://1.usa.gov/1rnf6Ox).