I also think this may be the best model for LOPSA to follow, at this time. Although IEEE-USA implies that they have taken a stance on this legislation as an organization, I don't think LOPSA has yet earned enough industry relevance to make it worth the cost and effort to try to focus on such.
But a "call to arms" for the individual members, and perhaps to like-minded, affiliated organizations, is certainly warranted and _accessible_ with limited commitment of resources...and it wouldn't hurt if those who take action self-identify as LOPSA members. (Doesn't have to be anything "over-the-top", I wouldn't think. But a good guideline would probably be to just note professional organization affiliations, but not to imply that the individual speaks _for_ that organization if the organization, itself, has not published a stance on the issue.) --Aaron On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 15:23, Doug Hughes <[email protected]> wrote: > Another great example of advocacy/policy in action. > (and I highly encourage everybody to participate in this action) > > > -------- Original Message -------- Subject: 2011 Patent Reform Act Date: > Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:12:52 GMT From: Russell Harrison > <[email protected]> <[email protected]> Reply-To: Russell > Harrison <[email protected]> <[email protected]> To: > <[email protected]> <[email protected]> > > IEEE Members: > > Congress continues to move ahead with the deeply flawed Patent Reform Act > of 2011. To stop this bill, we need as many people as possible to contact > Congress in the next week to express their concerns. > > The Patent reform Act of 2011 is the most dramatic change to US patent law > of the last 70 years. IEEE-USA, along with many other groups, oppose the > bill because we believe it favors large companies at the expense of smaller > inventors when it comes to issuing patents. > > Specifically, the bill shifts the United States from being a"first to > invent" country to a "first to file" country. This means that, when two > people invent the same thing at roughly the same time, the patent would go > to whomever got their patent application filed first. Under existing law, > the person who invented the product first usually gets the patent. > > This shift would cause several problems. The most important of these is the > effective elimination of a grace period for inventors. Currently, inventors > can take about a year to file their patent application without risking their > intellectual property. Under the new law, this protection would disappear so > that inventors would have to file for a patent immediately or risk losing > the rights to their ideas. This is true even if the inventor doesn't know if > his/her ideas will work yet. This system establish a clear advantage for big > companies with many lawyers, which can afford to file patents quickly and > often. Smaller inventors and companies cannot. > > The Patent bill also does not do many things that it should. The bill does > little to improve the quality of patents or of patent examiners. And it > doesn't reform the patent system to accommodate the accelerated pace of > innovation. > > A more detailed discussion of the flaws in the patent Reform Act can be > found here: > > http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/26/patent-reform-proposals-threaten-american-prosperi/ > > Additional details can be found at the IEEE-USA Legislative Action Center, > which also allows you to quickly contact your legislators. > www.ieeeusa.org/policy/lac > > Most people in Washington thought the Patent Bill would pass in mid-May. > Opposition from engineers and patent attorneys have caused Congress to pause > to reconsider the bill, but it is far from dead. A growing coalition of > legislators have begun speaking in opposition to the bill, but unless > Congress hears from the voters, the bill is still; likely to pass. > > Action on the Patent reform Act of 2011 is now expected in mid-June. Please > contact Congress this week, even if you have already done so this year. > > Thank you for your help. > > Russell Harrison > > IEEE Members: > > Congress continues to move ahead with the deeply flawed Patent Reform Act > of 2011. To stop this bill, we need as many people as possible to contact > Congress in the next week to express their concerns. > > The Patent reform Act of 2011 is the most dramatic change to US patent law > of the last 70 years. IEEE-USA, along with many other groups, oppose the > bill because we believe it favors large companies at the expense of smaller > inventors when it comes to issuing patents. > > Specifically, the bill shifts the United States from being a"first to > invent" country to a "first to file" country. This means that, when two > people invent the same thing at roughly the same time, the patent would go > to whomever got their patent application filed first. Under existing law, > the person who invented the product first usually gets the patent. > > This shift would cause several problems. The most important of these is > the effective elimination of a grace period for inventors. Currently, > inventors can take about a year to file their patent application without > risking their intellectual property. Under the new law, this protection > would disappear so that inventors would have to file for a patent > immediately or risk losing the rights to their ideas. This is true even if > the inventor doesn't know if his/her ideas will work yet. This system > establish a clear advantage for big companies with many lawyers, which can > afford to file patents quickly and often. Smaller inventors and companies > cannot. > > The Patent bill also does not do many things that it should. The bill does > little to improve the quality of patents or of patent examiners. And it > doesn't reform the patent system to accommodate the accelerated pace of > innovation. > > A more detailed discussion of the flaws in the patent Reform Act can be > found here: > > http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/26/patent-reform-proposals-threaten-american-prosperi/ > > Additional details can be found at the IEEE-USA Legislative Action Center, > which also allows you to quickly contact your legislators. > www.ieeeusa.org/policy/lac > > Most people in Washington thought the Patent Bill would pass in mid-May. > Opposition from engineers and patent attorneys have caused Congress to pause > to reconsider the bill, but it is far from dead. A growing coalition of > legislators have begun speaking in opposition to the bill, but unless > Congress hears from the voters, the bill is still; likely to pass. > > Action on the Patent reform Act of 2011 is now expected in mid-June. > Please contact Congress this week, even if you have already done so this > year. > > Thank you for your help. > > Russell Harrison > > Click here to > unsubscribe.<http://unsubscribe.democracydirect.com/default.aspx?ID=00102343&Client=ieeeProd&Action=37> > > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss > This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators > http://lopsa.org/ > >
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