In the vigorous, ongoing debate about the state of America’s patent system — and the state of software patents, in particular — there are some legitimate issues that call for practical solutions, and there is a great deal of peripheral noise. To sort through and identify which is which, BSA and the National Association of [...]
Read MoreClear Thinking on Software Patents
An IPR Strategy to Keep India’s Innovative Economy Moving Forward
India is well on its way to developing a world-class IT sector. For example, on the strength of its dynamic human capital and extensive investments in research and development, it leapt 10 ranking positions in the 2011 edition of the 66-nation IT Industry Competitiveness Index, created for BSA by the Economist Intelligence Unit. But India [...]
Read MoreIP: The Not-So-Secret Sauce in the US Economy
If there was any doubt, a new report from the Commerce Department makes it abundantly clear that intellectual property is the secret sauce in the US economy, officially contributing roughly one-third of the country’s GDP and more than a quarter of its employment. If you are keeping score, that comes to $5 trillion and 40 [...]
Read MoreMapping the Global Policy Environment for Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is the fastest-growing and most exciting new sector in the software and computing industries. IDC estimates that by 2015 revenue from public IT cloud services will account for one out of every seven dollars spent on commercial software, server, and storage offerings. Private cloud solutions could add another 10 percent or 20 percent [...]
Read MoreMexico’s Impressive IP Leadership
In the global race to curb intellectual property theft and capture the myriad economic benefits that come from boosting legal software sales, Mexico is setting an impressive pace by leveraging a noteworthy combination of resources from government agencies and private industry. The country’s lead copyright authority, the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (known by its [...]
Read MoreReal Crimes with Real Victims
One of the great misconceptions about intellectual property theft is that it is little more than a nuisance crime. By this faulty reasoning, there’s no real harm in using commercial products without paying for them, and it’s no big deal if someone sets up shop to sell cheap knockoffs of the real thing. But the [...]
Read MoreScaling the Mount Everest of Trade Barriers to Create Jobs
It is a truism: To grow in the global economy, a country must trade. The Obama Administration and Congress clearly understand this. It’s why the President has set a goal of doubling US exports in five years — and why lawmakers are pressing hard to ensure that happens. Congress recently has been scrutinizing US trade [...]
Read MoreFocusing the Patent Debate on What Most Needs Fixing
A fair, balanced and effective patent system is indispensible in promoting investment in research and development, job creation, global competitiveness and economic growth — goals that lawmakers from across the ideological spectrum can support. Yet US patent law has not been comprehensively modernized in more than 50 years. Led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick [...]
Read MoreKeeping Strong IPR at the Top of the Trans-Pacific Trade Agenda
Want to bring down the US trade deficit? One easy way is to reduce software piracy. At last count, the packaged-software industry was contributing a surplus of nearly $37 billion to the US balance of trade — and that was with one hand tied behind its back, because another $30 billion worth of sales are [...]
Read MoreIPEC, One Year On
What a difference a year makes. In case you missed it, US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel has released the first annual report outlining the Obama administration’s progress in implementing its strategy on intellectual property. It is just one report, but it speaks volumes. No related posts.
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