Blog

North America’s digital trade framework may soon get its first reboot in more than a quarter century. Thanks to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), American businesses of all sizes, workers, entrepreneurs, developers, and content creators – in every sector of the U.S. economy – could soon be able to take advantage of the best digital… Read more

Data has revolutionized every part of our economy and daily lives, both online and offline. Thanks to data, we can get to work on time with efficient navigation, find the perfect playlist based on curated recommendations, and see faces of loved ones hundreds of miles apart. Americans deserve, and internet companies support, a modern approach… Read more

There’s been a great deal of misinformation floating around about the inter partes review process (IPR) and how it impacts American inventors and innovators. So, ahead of today’s U.S. Patent Office Oversight (USPTO) Oversight Hearing with USPTO Director Andrei Iancu, IA wanted to correct some common myths about the U.S. patent system and IPR. MYTH:… Read more

On October 13, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 182, a bill which marks a big step forward for ridesharing in California. SB 182 will ease administrative and financial burdens on transportation network company (TNC) drivers by allowing them to obtain only a single business license in order to operate in the entire… Read more

Internet Association believes in the power of cloud computing to improve government processes and maximize the impact of each taxpayer dollar. IA is proud to represent world-class cloud providers with a relentless focus on helping federal, state, and local governments do just that. That’s why it was disappointing to see the Securities and Exchange Commission… Read more

“At Internet Association, we stand behind the goals of SESTA [the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017]. We want to see an end to sex trafficking online.” That quote, given as testimony by IA’s own Abigail Slater during yesterday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing, reflects our collective commitment to end online sex trafficking. Fortunately, yesterday’s… Read more

Today, Internet Association will testify before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on an critical issue to our nation: the effort to combat sex trafficking. Internet Association member companies are 100 percent committed to the fight against sex trafficking. Criminal actors like Backpage.com must be fully and quickly brought to justice for their horrific… Read more

One of the most important parts of the internet – and what makes it so attractive and useful to so many people – is the ability to search for and store information at the click of a button. Intermediary liability safe harbors play a critical role in making that possible.These safe harbors protect internet platforms… Read more

In 2014, the Supreme Court issued a key opinion in Alice Corp v. CLS Bank International that rejected low-quality patent claims that failed to meet legal criteria. Recently, certain interest groups – dissatisfied with the requirement that patents not cover abstract ideas or simple business methods on a computer – have started shopping the idea… Read more

On April 26 each year, the World Intellectual Property Organization celebrates “World Intellectual Property Day.” This year, WIPO explains the theme as “explor[ing] how innovation is making our lives healthier, safer, and more comfortable, turning problems into progress…at how the intellectual property system supports innovation by attracting investment, rewarding creators, encouraging them to develop their… Read more

Today, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) released the 2017 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report. The NTE is the administration’s annual review of significant foreign trade barriers. For this year’s report, IA submitted comments on key barriers in nearly 60 countries that impede U.S. small businesses, manufacturers, and users from leveraging the internet… Read more

by: Abigail Slater, Internet Association General Counsel IA attended ICANN58 in Copenhagen last week and was grateful to the ICANN board and staff to be included in a panel discussion with EU data protection commissioners and the Council of Europe.  The purpose of the panel was to discuss EU data protection principles and their application… Read more