Speaking in Denver on Tuesday at a startup incubator called Galvanize, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton made a number of proposals regarding intellectual property and called for administrative reform to help bring the U.S. copyright system into the digital age, according to Bloomberg BNA.
The former Secretary of State outlined her proposals in a 14-page tech agenda on technology and innovation. Her remarks also addressed creating jobs in the tech sector, promoting STEM education, streamlining the transfer of technology across government and the private sector and upgrading internet access in rural areas.
The tech industry is one of the nation's biggest assets, she said.
“Diversifying the tech workforce can generate an additional $500 billion in new value for the technology industry, boosting GDP by up to 1.6 percent,” according to her brief.
Clinton's remarks received swift approval from a number of tech industry groups, including the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), in which Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Facebook are members.
“This is the platform of a candidate who can be trusted to grow the economy,” Ed Black, president of the CCIA, said in a statement.
Clinton has been asking for feedback on alterations to existing copyright and patent laws for several months. Two bills, one in the Senate and one in the House, are regarded by many as too far-reaching and would, opponents say, weaken patent rights for American inventors.
Todd Dickinson, a former director at the Patent and Trademark Office, who is advising the Clinton campaign on IP matters, said her proposals have broad support in Congress, albeit with a range of opponents.
