United States Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante spoke before the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet last week, urging lawmakers to undertake the arduous task of promoting comprehensive reforms for the nation's copyright statutes. The process should be framed in years, not months, according to Pallante, and everything from fair use and copyright length to piracy prevention and performance royalty management should be up for discussion.

With one of the highest concentrations of federal research laboratories of any state, Colorado's scientific and business communities have taken a unique interest in technology transfer strategies in recent years. In an effort to streamline communications between public and private sector stakeholders, Senator Michael Bennet recently submitted a letter of inquiry to the U.S. Government Accountability Office requesting a comprehensive investigation into the efficacy of these unique patent licensing arrangements.

Private companies have grown accustomed to fierce competition for patent ownership and licensing rights in recent years, but some surprise public sector entities could soon be entering the fray. According to Reuters, South Korea and France have each launched state-sponsored patent acquisition companies with the intent of supporting domestic technology firms and potentially generating revenue in the process.

This week the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a geographically unlimited interpretation of the first-sale doctrine in a controversial case regarding college textbooks. This ruling has broad implications that extend well beyond the publishing industry, however, and could be a significant source of concern for copyright holders attempting to strategically monetize their works across international borders.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office saw a flood of new applications this month, ahead of the most recent America Invents Act implementation deadline. Unless the filing parties conducted a thorough review of their intellectual assets, however, they may well struggle to achieve their broader business goals.

Patent thickets, or complex collections of interrelated and often overlapping intellectual property rights, have long been perceived as a primary obstacle to the efficient commercialization of innovation. Following an in-depth analysis conducted by the regulatory body's Economic and Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB), European Patent Office (EPO) officials recently suggested that the inhibitive effects of patent thickets are likely overstated and capable of being resolved by several indirect measures.

Texas-based gunsmith and law student Cody Wilson was thrust into the spotlight earlier this year after he released video footage detailing his production of military-grade, 3D-printed firearm component parts. Wilson and his collaborators have now elaborated on their business plans, suggesting that they intend to develop a comprehensive, open source library of 3D printable models for all manner of physical goods.

Online retail giant Amazon.com is among the biggest names to enter the fray for new web addresses being auctioned off through the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' (ICANN) generic top-level domain (gTLD) program. Commercial competitors and publishing industry associations are pushing back, however, suggesting that the company's digital copyrighting ambitions may be anticompetitive.

Several significant patent law reforms will go into effect at the end of the week as the transition to a first to file system commences on March 16. As companies continue to speculate on the long-term consequences of this America Invents Act provision, many are fast-tracking applications in the hopes of securing protections under the familiar rules of current code.

Interactive textbook publisher Boundless has been causing quite a stir in the higher education community recently as its products continue to challenge traditional market leaders and intrigue students and investors. However, pending interpretation of copyright law could soon make or break the business venture's future prospects.