Rich Fiscus
2 Sep 2007 10:43
Opponents of a patent reform movement in the U.S. government have decided to appeal to the Democrats in power by getting the backing of labor unions - traditional Democratic supporters.
The AFL-CIO, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), and United Steelworkers have all sent letters to lawmakers opposing the two patent reform bills currently being considered in Washington. The hope is that hearing from labor union representatives will get Democratic lawmakers' attention and convince them not to pass either one into law.
However, large tech companies are exerting pressure to get some kind of patent reform. In recent years many industry leaders have practically been held hostage by company's that are essentially nothing but holding companies for patents. Extremely vague patents and lack of technical expertise among patent judges are often cited as obstacles to the introduction of new technology
Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have targeted patent reform for passage by the end of the year.
"I think the momentum exists for this thing to move forward," said Joshua Ackil, vice president of government relations for tech trade group the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI). "As folks [in Congress] dive in a little deeper on this issue, they will come around and understand how important patent reform is to the tech sector."
The importance of patents in modern video technology can't be overstated. If the US patent system were finally to receive the kind of overhaul it needs, the financial repercussions from companies not constantly looking over their shoulders to see who's waiting to sue them could result in more sanity in hardware and software pricing.
Unfortunately, like the lawmakers who must take responsibility for reforming the system, lobbying groups continue to show nearly complete ignorance of the issues involved.
Source: InfoWorld