Page 290 – Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Venue Reform Critical to Improving Patent Guidelines in the United States

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:February 26, 2016
Post category:Congress Intellectual Property Michi Iljazi Patents Taxpayers Protection Alliance

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) recently placed Congress on notice reminding them of the opportunity for and importance of getting something done on patent litigation reform. Reforms would help to strengthen intellectual property (IP), which would boost the competitive economy all while benefitting consumers, businesses and taxpayers. As part of any legislation there are many parts and “venue reform” remains an important component to any legislation that would move through Congress. Venue reform refers to moving the current patent litigation system away from courts that generally favor patent trolls. Patent trolls are generally one or two individuals hiding behind a fictitious shell corporation. They scour the Internet trying to find vague, near-end patents, buying them up with the goal of filing lawsuits to extort settlements from businesses or individuals who can’t afford the high cost of litigation. They issue threatening letters, demanding payment through licensing fees for the use of ambiguous or commonly-utilized technologies, or threaten to sue. Most small businesses can’t afford the steep costs of litigation and instead are bullied into paying excessive licensing fees. Right now most patent disputes are dealt with in just one court in Texas, that’s right a single court hears most patent disputes in the country. In 2015 the Eastern District of Texas handled 2,540 cases of the total 5,830 (43.6%). That is a higher percentage than of all districts outside the top 3 (41.9%).

TPA Joins AFP-led Coalition Urging Opposition to Online Sales Tax Proposal in Utah

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:February 25, 2016
Post category:Internet Marketplace Fairness Act Michi Iljazi Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Right now in Utah, there is a bipartisan effort to move forward with Internet sales tax legislation. Taxpayers Protection Alliance has fought the creation of new online sales taxes in Washington, most notably the Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA), but now states are trying to replicate the foolish and economically harmful effort. Recently, TPA joined a coalition led by Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and signed a letter urging Utah lawmakers to reject the online sales tax bill (SB 65) and protect taxpayers from a massive tax increase that will damage e-commerce in the state of Utah. Click 'read more' below to see the full letter

New Report on D.C. Streetcar Reveals Questionable Spending of Taxpayer Money

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:February 23, 2016
Post category:D.C. Streetcar District of Columbia Michi Iljazi Spending Taxpayers Protection Alliance Telecommunications

Taxpayers Protection Alliance Releases Report on DC Streetcar Spending Just Days Before Service Set to Begin, New Report Details Millions of Dollars in Taxpayer Funded Expenditures on Marketing & Communications (Washington) – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) released a new report detailing questionable spending for the marketing and communications operation for the soon-to-be launched D.C. Streetcar. To date, the 2.4-mile project has cost $200 million, or $83 million per mile. Last year, TPA submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) requesting all expenditures related to marketing and communications for the streetcar project between January 1, 2011 and July 27, 2015. After exhaustive and extensive research of thousands of pages of FOIA-related documents from DDOT, TPA identified more than $2 million of taxpayer money in costs devoted to marketing, public relations and communications for the project.

Tax Reform – Not Higher Taxes – Will Bring Economic Growth

Post author:David Williams
Post published:February 22, 2016
Post category:Budget Congress Energy Oil Taxes Taxpayers Protection Alliance

This article appeared in Morning Consult on Feburary 16, 2016 Two significant documents were delivered to Congress last week: President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget and U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s semiannual Monetary Policy Report. The President’s budget is a $4.1 trillion plan containing $2.6 trillion in tax hikes. And it’s not surprising that it’s a repeat of his previous plans – more spending and tax increases. When it comes to the latter, one proposal in particular has garnered the most ink and discussion: a $10 per barrel tax on oil produced in the United States. As always, it will be consumers on the losing end of this deal, which many on Capitol Hill have called “dead-on-arrival.” And for good reason. It’s estimated that President Obama’s $10 per barrel tax on oil would add almost 25 cents a gallon to the cost of gasoline, hitting middle class and low-income families particularly hard. But it’s not just the pump where Americans will feel the pinch.

GAO Gets A Well Deserved Pat on the Back, from Themselves

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:February 19, 2016
Post category:Government Accountability Office Michi Iljazi Spending Taxpayers Protection Alliance

It isn’t often that government agencies can be given credit for saving taxpayers money. In fact, with a national debt of $19 trillion and rising deficits making a comeback it’s actually shocking. That being said, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is indeed able to bring some good news for taxpayers and taxpayer advocates like the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA).Just this week, the GAO put out their own report examining the work they did in 2015.

FCC Chairman Wheeler Opts for More Regulations by Resurrecting AllVid Proposal

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:February 17, 2016
Post category:Michi Iljazi Regulation Taxpayers Protection Alliance Telecommunications

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and its current Chairman Tom Wheeler aren’t very good at many things, but one thing Wheeler’s FCC excels at is expanding the regulatory reach of the agency. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) remains constantly engaged in the fight against the Wheeler-Obama “net neutrality” Internet regulations, and the increasing number of municipal (i.e. taxpayer-funded) broadband systems in cities across the country. The FCC is once again trying to expand its regulatory reach; this time it is Chairman Wheeler’s recent proposal for rulemaking on unlocking set-top boxes for cable television. The future of set-top boxes has been an oft-discussed telecommunications topic for years. Set-top boxes are how many cable customers receive their content from local cable companies such as Verzion, Comcast, Time Warner etc. As technology advances and consumers feel the squeeze of increasing hardware costs, many individuals are looking for a better way to have their services delivered. Section 629 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Competitive Availability of Navigation Devices, lays out the impetuous for what the FCC has been trying to accomplish with set-top boxes. Previously, the agency (taxpayers) poured more than $1 billion into the failed CableCARD program, and now they want to resurrect a proposal, known as “AllVid,” that has been repeatedly fought every step of the way, and for good reason.

TPA Applauds New Voluntary Initiative to Fight Piracy

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:February 16, 2016
Post category:Copyright Intellectual Property Michi Iljazi Taxpayers Protection Alliance

It’s just one month into 2016 and many of the same fights that have been happening in Washington for years remain unresolved. But while indecision and delay have become a hallmark of Congress, some private sector actors aren’t letting Congressional paralysis impede progress. One issue that exemplifies this leadership is the protection of intellectual property (IP), in particular online piracy. Last week Donuts Inc., the largest operator of new domain name extensions (such as .MOVIE and .THEATER), announced a new partnership with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to help fight online piracy by ensuring that websites using Donuts Inc. registered domains are not engaged in large-scale piracy.

Release of GIPC’s 2016 Index Shows Positive Trend for IP Rights Worldwide

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:February 15, 2016
Post category:European Resource Bank Meeting Intellectual Property International Michi Iljazi Taxpayers Protection Alliance

2016 U.S. Chamber International IP Index Even though the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) focuses most of its efforts on issues on the national level, there are some issues that expand to a broader, international scale. One issue that transcends borders is the protection of intellectual property (IP). TPA continues to work on a wide range of IP issues (including plain packaging and copyright protection) understanding the positive impact that protecting IP has on the economy and jobs. A key component to strengthening IP at home and abroad is to recognize the progress made by countries when it comes to the quality of IP protections. The United States Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 International IP Index (found here), which is put out by the Chamber’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC), shows the progress that’s being made by countries in protecting IP. The GIPC’s 2016 International IP Index is their fourth annual release and it examines 38 economies and bases the index off of 30 different indicators to measure the strength of their IP system. According to the index, the United States leads the way 28.8 out of 30. The biggest caveat is that even though the US leads the way, more work needs to be done to strengthen IP in the US. Recent figures from a joint report by the Economics and Statistics Administration and the United States Patent and Trademark Office show that 40 million jobs are supported by IP intensive industries. That is a number too big to ignore and it will continue to grow. Upon the release of the report last week, there was an upbeat tone about the current state of IP and the positive trend that the index showed in terms of how countries were getting better at fostering a culture where IP was protected globally.

Virginia Looking for Real Competition in Healthcare

Post author:David Williams
Post published:February 14, 2016
Post category:Healthcare Regulation Taxpayers Protection Alliance

On Friday, members of the Virginia House of Delegates debated and cast their first vote on repealing an archaic law knows as the Certificate of Public Need (COPN). These laws require hospitals and other healthcare providers to acquire approval from state regulators to add or expand healthcare services, ranging from adding MRI machines or additional beds to performing new surgeries. The intention of this law, which stems from a 1970’s federal mandate, was to control costs and increase access to care. However, it’s accomplished quite the opposite by stifling competition, making healthcare less accessible and more expensive for consumers and taxpayers. As noted in a previous blog, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) these laws, COPN laws create barriers to entry and expansion, limit consumer choice and stifle innovation.

Taxpayers Are in Love With Tax Reform. What About Members of Congress?

Post author:David Williams
Post published:February 12, 2016
Post category:Congress Taxes Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Love is in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches. With that in mind, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) continues our Valentine’s Day themed campaign designed to address the serious issue of tax reform for members of Congress. The “Love is Patient, Taxpayers Aren’t” campaign (click here for press release) sums up the desire for immediate tax reform. Much like the holiday of Valentine’s Day, the campaign will be conducted with the passage of cards, candy and alluring messages. As part of the campaign, members of Congress and their staff will be sent a BuzzFeed-style personality quiz to see if their views truly are aligned with tax reform. The results of the quiz are simple - either the member of Congress is in favor of economy boosting tax reform, or they oppose tax. TPA will also encourage Capitol Hill to utilize our snapchat filter that features conversation hearts adorned with tax reform messages such as “Tax Reform BAE (Before Anything Else)” and “Tax Reform 2016.” Additionally, Congress will be sent eCards featuring tax reform memes with holiday-themed facts such as: “There are 75 thousand pages in the US Tax Code. That’s enough paper to write a love letter every day for the next 200 years.”