[M4IF Discuss] News: Gov't IP hearings to cover chip, software patents

[Craig Birkmaier]

http://www.eet.com/sys/news/OEG20020221S0066
Gov't IP hearings to cover chip, software patents
By George Leopold
EE Times
February 22, 2024 (5:54 a.m. EST)
WASHINGTON - Government regulators will hold four days of public 
hearings next week at the University of California, Berkeley, on a 
range of intellectual-property (IP) issues, including hardware, 
software and semiconductor patents.
The hearings, sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission and the 
Justice Department's antitrust division, are part of an effort to 
reexamine the growing tensions between intellectual-property rights 
and competitive technology markets. They will begin Monday (Feb. 25).
A key impetus for the hearings, U.S. officials said, is the 
proliferation of patent filings and awards over the last decade. Many 
observers worry that patent proliferation is stifling competition in 
electronics, biotechnology and other economically critical industries.
A Feb. 27 hearing will cover software patents and the Internet. Along 
with a handful of patent experts from academia and law firms, the 
panel includes industry executives from Borland Software Corp., 
Amazon.com and Divx Networks Inc.
A Feb. 28 panel on hardware and semiconductor patents includes 
executives from Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Micron 
Technology and Texas Instruments.
The IP hearings have prompted industry concerns that the government 
may be preparing to rewrite its guidelines on intellectual property. 
In the past, the Justice Department has issued favorable opinions on 
licensing issues like patent pooling.
Government officials said the concerns were unfounded. "There is no 
hidden agenda to these hearings," said Federal Trade Commission chief 
Timothy Muris.