Bloomberg BNA Publishes In-Depth Outlook on Telecommunications, E-Commerce and Intellectual Property Policy

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bloomberg BNA today released its 2016 outlook on telecommunications, privacy, electronic commerce, social media advertising, and intellectual property.   Dozens of leading policy experts offer their insights into what to expect in the legislative, judicial and regulatory arenas this year in this 30-page report.  A complimentary copy is available here. 

"Bloomberg BNA's editors and reporters have put together in-depth perspectives on the hot-button issues that will shape the year ahead in these fast-moving areas," said Barbara Yuill, News Director of IP, Privacy & Data Security, and Tech & Telecom at Bloomberg BNA.  "Emerging privacy regulation in the EU and upcoming privacy battles in Congress, a new stage in industry challenges to the FCC's net neutrality rules, changes in Internet oversight, and increasing U.S. government scrutiny of advertising on social media platforms are all explored in this unique publication."

Highlights of the report include:

The FCC's net neutrality rules will see increasing challenges in 2016, according to industry members and analysts, as litigation and policy battles could continue for several years.  The next challenge will likely come in the form of privacy rules, which will seek to apply rules developed for the original telephone network to broadband providers in the Internet ecosystem.

Spectrum previously licensed to television broadcasters will be auctioned — after years of planning — by the FCC, which will have broad ramifications for the broadcast and wireless industries.  Industry observers expect the auction to shape the future of U.S. mobile competition.

Privacy issues are at the forefront in 2016, including a potential fight in Congress over whether technology companies should be forced to assist the federal government with unlocking encrypted information to track down criminals and terrorists.  Issues beyond Capitol Hill include a sweeping data protection regulation awaiting a vote by the European Parliament and a potential expansion of FCC regulation of broadband service providers' privacy practices. 

The ICANN community will devote significant energy to reaching agreement on what a domain registrar must do in response to a claim that unlawful activity is occurring on a customer's website.  Other important issues for businesses engaged with ICANN include studying the effectiveness of existing trademark right protections, planning for a new round of top-level domain applications, and preparing for the end of the U.S. government's role as long-standing ICANN overseer. 

Social media advertising that is misleading faces increased enforcement by the FTC and FDA, potentially causing more headaches for advertisers.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may follow suit.

Patent owners may see little relief in the attacks against them in 2016, primarily from Silicon Valley software giants, generic drug makers and hedge fund managers. They are hopeful the Patent Trial and Appeal Board decreases the number of patents it invalidates and will be watching the Federal Circuit closely, which will be busy with appeals by patent owners who saw their patents cancelled in federal district courts after a key 2014 Supreme Court decision. A wrinkle to watch: congressional action on intellectual property in 2016 could take the form of civil trade secret protection legislation. Such legislation is seen as less controversial than patent legislation and is gaining in importance for business and legal executives.  

In copyrights, fair use cases set for hearing in 2016 are likely to add to jurisprudence on the issue.  Look for House lawmakers to continue a broad review of copyright law, but the complexity of the fair use issue, combined with an expected election-year legislative slowdown, makes comprehensive copyright legislation unlikely this year.  Limited changes, such as independence for the U.S. Copyright Office, may be possible.

A complimentary copy is available here. 

About Bloomberg BNA
Bloomberg BNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bloomberg, is a leading source of legal, regulatory, and business information for professionals. Its network of more than 2,500 reporters, correspondents, and leading practitioners delivers expert analysis, news, practice tools, and guidance — the information that matters most to professionals. Bloomberg BNA's authoritative coverage spans a full range of legal practice areas, including tax & accounting, labor & employment, intellectual property, banking & securities, employee benefits, health care, privacy & data security, human resources, and environment, health & safety.

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SOURCE Bloomberg BNA

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