Office of Science and Technology Policy Official Calls for Patent Reform at Wireless Event
WASHINGTON, November 2, 2009 – A top technology advisor to President Obama said Monday that the administration was committed to reforming and streamlining the patent system as a way to foster innovation. Speaking at an event on wireless innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Deputy
WASHINGTON, November 2, 2009 – A top technology advisor to President Obama said Monday that the administration was committed to reforming and streamlining the patent system as a way to foster innovation.
Speaking at an event on wireless innovation, White House Office of Science and Technology Deputy Director Tom Kalil addressed innovation across the economy, and particularly at the university, industry and K-12 educational levels.
Kalil highlighted the Obama administration’s recently-announced “Race to the Top Fund,” at the Education Department. The program “provides competitive grants to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform,” according to Kalil.
Kalil also said that the wireless industry is creating new applications that support the administration’s commitment to innovation.
Kalil said that one of the best new applications involves the use of augmented reality to show citizens where stimulus funds are being used. Kalil also talked about using crowd sourcing prizes to help solve problems.
Kalil spoke at an event hosted by Monday by Mobile Future, a coalition of non-profits and businesses funded by the wireless industry.
Also speaking at the event were Robert Hahn and Hal Singer. They presented their paper “Why the iPhone won’t last forever and that the government should do to promote its successor.”
Their thesis: exclusive agreements do not hinder mobile innovation.
That perspective, promoted by the wireless industry, has been under fire by many, including Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, which he launched a major initiative about competition in the wireless space in September.
Hahn and Singer acknowledged that the iPhone is one of the leading products in the cellphone market. But, they say, it is no longer the best phone available – and that it has yet to become the dominant smartphone. BlackBerry still holds the title as the best-selling device.
