Since its introduction to the U.S. Senate floor in 1934, gross domestic product has been one of the most trusted measurements of a nation's macroeconomic health. Yet as the business models which populate the country's economy have expanded and evolved in the interceding 80 years, critics have started to question the validity of the metric.

Dynamic higher education systems have been a core contributor to the rise of innovation hubs like San Francisco and Boston. In a recent column for Science Business, Matt Van Italie of Canterbury Road Partners elaborated on his vision for replicating similar success in communities with comparatively fewer resources than those two bustling commercial centers.

The automatic federal spending cuts imposed by the U.S. government this March have been met with strong resistance by lobbyists suggesting that their affiliated organizations are either too important to be hamstrung by budget cuts or should be immune from the austerity measures on principle. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could be classified in each of those categories, according to some, with several leading technology firms now framing sequestration as a personal betrayal to their historical good will.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed a lower court's ruling on the legality of Dish Network's automatic ad-skipping device. This likely bolstered the company's stance in ongoing copyright infringement litigation with the FOX broadcasting network. The ruling might not bring proceedings between the two sides to a close, but the precedent set could already be enough to inspire media innovators to develop their own methods of bypassing traditional advertising embedded in content delivery protocols. 

This week, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet heard testimony from music, photography and movie industry representatives hoping for stronger national copyright codes. It remains to be seen, however, how strongly this familiar refrain may sway legislative opinions as Congress continues its pursuit of comprehensive copyright reform fit for the digital age.

Congressional leaders have spoken at length about the economic importance of reducing the rate of frivolous lawsuits filed within the U.S. patent system, but the strongest motion yet may have been introduced this month in a bill co-sponsored by California Representatives Darrell Issa and Judy Chu.

The Advisory Council for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has been a vital source of knowledge exchange and dissemination as it relates to clarifying and streamlining judicial procedures. In its latest model order, the council has turned an eye toward patent claims and prior art in an effort to further reduce the administrative burden on intellectual property litigants and courts.

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, a primary sponsor of the America Invents Act, is once again exploring pressing patent management issues by urging the National Institutes of Health to invoke the march-in rights afforded to it under the Bayh-Dole Act and force Myriad Genetics to license its breast and ovarian cancer testing protocols in the name of public health.

Indiana University confirmed earlier this week that the number of invention disclosures filed by faculty and researchers nearly doubled between FY 2009 and FY 2012. As a result, the greater Indianapolis area is gaining a reputation as one of the nation's most promising emerging innovation hubs.

An Arizona inventor was recently forced to swallow a bitter pill after a lucrative stream of patent licensing revenue was cut off by the application of a controversial Supreme Court precedent.