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NEWS FEED
No More Botched Rollouts: These Two Bills Could Change How the Government Buys Tech
Without stepping into the debate on the relative merits of Obamacare, all sides agree that the technical rollout of the healthcare.gov site was less than ideal -- botched, some would say. And according to a number of commentators, the root cause of the problem is “the government’s habit of buying outdated, costly and buggy technology.” In other words -- the entire system of federal IT procurement. Luckily for us, there are two bills in Congress that want to revolutionize the process and improve the way government delivers services.
Engine's Day in DC: February 12
Here at Engine, our goal is to build better policy by providing opportunities for tech founders and policymakers to discuss the issues that impact our diverse community. On February 12th this year, Engine will be taking to D.C. to host a day of events celebrating entrepreneurship.
New Bill to Protect The Open Internet
It only took a few weeks after the federal court ruling striking down net neutrality for a group of congressional Democrats to take action with a new pair of bills that would allow the FCC to revive its Open Internet Order requiring service providers to treat all web traffic equally.
What Tech Heard in Obama's State of the Union
In his fifth State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama laid out key themes and decisive steps for “a year of action” in government. Both soaring in rhetoric, and granular in detail, the President’s remarks provide a roadmap for legislation and a glimpse into some of the executive remedies he will seek to continue growing the U.S. economy -- even during the pitched battles of a mid-term election.
What Startups Want to Hear in the #SOTU
President Obama will kick off a highly-charged political year with his address to Congress and the country on the current State of the Union. For decades, this has been an opportunity for Presidents to lay out policy initiatives and bold ideas for the year ahead.
What We Can Do To Protect Net Neutrality
In the aftermath of the federal court ruling striking down FCC guidelines on net neutrality, here's what we, the technology community, can do to protect a free and open internet.
Engine Supports Fee Shifting in Patent Cases
Fee shifting, or "loser pays," is already in the Patent Act but the current wording -- only in “exceptional cases” can the court award attorney fees to the prevailing party -- left the door open for the Federal Circuit to define exceptional so narrowly that fees are only granted in a fraction of cases.
The Innovation Act Passes the House
Engine Advocacy, and our nationwide network of startups, entrepreneurs, investors and allies, welcome this action taken by the House as yet another step in neutralizing the threat of patent trolls and the daily harm they cause to our economy. We commend leaders from both sides of the aisle including House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) among others in moving this bipartisan legislation through committee, onto the floor and ultimately working to ensure a sweeping majority in favor.
Make a Call to Support Patent Reform and The Innovation Act
This Thursday, the House of Representatives will vote on the Innovation Act -- the best bill yet that aims to remedy the growing patent trolling problem. We cannot wait to enact meaningful patent reform, and this is our opportunity. We need you to call your Congressional Representative to urge a yes vote on this bill.
Innovation Act Passed By House Judiciary Committee
Engine congratulates the House Judiciary Committee on passing H.R. 3309, the Innovation Act for patent reform, on Wednesday. We're also honored to have been given a shout out during the proceedings. Check out the video to take a look.
Startups Speak: We’re Changing the Narrative of the Patent Troll Story
If you’ve been following the patent troll epidemic in the news at all, you’ve probably also heard of the company I work for. Six months ago, I started working at FindTheBest. Two days after I started, we were served with our first demand letter from Lumen View Technology LLC. The next A day, Lumen View Technology filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
American Inventors and Patent Holders Call for Patent Reform
As a diverse group of engineers, the signatories have contributed to the development of the internet alongside the creation and improvement of well-known household technologies. Together, they acknowledge the need to reform the current patent system to prevent abuse by non-practicing patent trolls.
What Startups Should Know About TPP
In the name of “individual rights and free expression,” WikiLeaks has released the draft text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Negotiations over this trade agreement began in secret between 12 Pacific Rim countries in December 2012, and despite the secrecy, we know (from a previous leak) that discussions have covered intellectual property, competition and State-owned enterprises, environmental policy, services and investment, and government procurement, among other issues. But how will this impact startups?
Startups Speak: Tech Can Play a Role in Communities
Dan Parham started Neighborland to empower residents to shape the development of their cities. The free platform provides better tools for communities to collaborate with city leaders, developers and local advocacy organizations on civic issues.