Blog

By Michael Beckerman, President & CEO of Internet Association Japan is often described as the world’s most tech-obsessed nation. It has a global reputation for innovation, and for years Japanese tech giants – Sony, Hitachi and Panasonic, to name but a few – were dominant industry leaders that pioneered products loved by the world over…. Read more

By Ari Giovenco, Director of Trade and International Policy The internet is a major driver of U.S. economic strength and is changing the way we trade. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. small businesses rely on internet platforms to seamlessly connect with new customers both at home and abroad. From South Dakota to Singapore to Santiago,… Read more

At the Internet Association, we understand there’s no silver bullet that will slay every patent troll. Honest American job creators need a veritable arsenal to fight them back. And one of these bullets in job creators’ battle against patent trolls is currently up for debate in the Supreme Court: venue. Although venue reform is not… Read more

Everyone – policymakers in Washington included – agrees that we should aim to make government agencies more efficient, more technology friendly, and more effective for citizens. The U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) – a lesser known agency housed in the Library of Congress – is one such agency that is in real need of repair. The… Read more

We’ll all remember 2016 for different (and numerous) reasons. While you reflect on all the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens, consider this: 2016 was the first year that streaming music overtook sales of individual songs or albums as the music industry’s dominant model, accounting for 51.3 percent of album consumption. That’s higher than physical… Read more

Earlier today, the Internet Association filed an amicus brief in support of the Patent Trade Office (PTO) in the Aqua Products case. We were joined by a big tent coalition that includes tech companies whose market cap exceeds $1 trillion. This same coalition filed an amicus brief (also in support of the PTO) in the Cuozzo case before the Supreme Court earlier this… Read more

Artists, even Nobel Prize-winning artists, borrow, build upon, and sample from other artists. Drawing inspiration from those around you is part of the creative process. Modern threats to artists’ ability to use the world around them for inspiration, however, could derail future generations of creativity. Bob Dylan, who recently won this year’s Nobel Prize for… Read more

Californians now have a right to an internet will of sorts, thanks to Governor Jerry Brown’s approval this weekend of Assembly Bill 691, authored by Assemblyman Ian Calderon. And the timing couldn’t be better.  Today’s internet users lead robust digital lives. From paying bills, to talking with family, to purchasing products, the internet has become… Read more

The IANA transition enjoys strong support from national security experts, industry, and public interest groups. Here’s what they’re saying: Internet Association CEO Michael Beckerman: Failure To Complete The IANA Transition “Would Impede The Free Flow Of Information Online And Free Speech Worldwide.” “Fragmentation of the Internet would impede the free flow of information online and free… Read more

This September marks five years since the America Invents Act (AIA) was signed into law, ushering our patent system into the 21st century through a series of reforms that focused on both the efficiency and quality of patents. The AIA created new post grant review programs, which are both time- and cost-effective mechanisms to take… Read more

The European Commission’s proposed “modernization” of EU copyright rules fails to create future-proofed intellectual property policies that protect consumers, rightsholders, and internet platforms. The adoption of these provisions would slow the growth of homegrown internet companies across the European continent and could be disastrous for the European publishing community. The EU copyright consultation presented an… Read more

The pivotal scene in Artificial Intelligence (AI) movies is almost always the Turing Test, when a human meets a robot and tests whether they pass as human. Whether it’s Haley Joel Osment in AI, Robin Williams as the Bicentennial Man, or most recently, Ava in Ex Machina, the Turing Test is the critical turning point…. Read more