lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-05-16 00:00:00

End Anonymous Patents Act - Requires entities issued a patent to file with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) a disclosure of the identity of the patent owner and any real parties in interest. Directs patent owners to also make such disclosures to the USPTO upon the payment of maintenance fees.

Requires an entity to which a patent, patent application, or interest is sold, granted, or conveyed to file with the USPTO a disclosure of the sale, grant, or conveyance, and any real party in interest in the patent, application, or interest.

Specifies that "real parties in interest" include: (1) any entity that has the legal right to enforce the patent through an infringement action, (2) any ultimate parent entity (not controlled by any other entity) of such an entity, and (3) any entity that has a controlling interest in the enforcement of the patent.

Limits the damages available in a patent infringement action by an entity that fails to comply with the requirements of this Act to only those damages occurring from the date on which the requirements are met.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-06-04 00:00:00

Promoting Startup Innovation Act - Amends federal patent law to modify the definition of "micro entity" (certain small entities eligible for reduced patent fees) to require applicants to certify that they: (1) have not been named as an inventor on more than seven (currently, four) previously filed patent applications, subject to applicable exceptions for applications filed in another country, provisional applications, or international applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty; and (2) did not have gross income exceeding five times (currently, three times) the median household income in the preceding calendar year and have not transferred ownership interest in the application to an entity with gross income exceeding such limit.

Requires the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to approve or deny such applications within 45 days after the application is submitted.

Applies such amended requirements to applications submitted on or after the enactment of this Act.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2013-06-20 00:00:00

Private Right of Action Against Theft of Trade Secrets Act of 2013 - Amends the Economic Espionage Act of 1996 to authorize any person who suffers injury by reason of a violation of prohibitions against the theft of trade secrets to maintain a civil action against the violator for appropriate compensatory damages and injunctive or other equitable relief.

Prohibits such an action unless it is begun within two years of the date of the act complained of or the date of the discovery of the damage.

 Declares that the phrase "without authorization" in such Act's prohibitions shall not mean independent derivation or working backwards from a lawfully obtained known product or service to divine the process which aided its development or manufacture.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2013-06-28 00:00:00

Manufacturing Innovation in America Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a taxpayer to elect a tax deduction for an amount equal to 71% of the lesser of: (1) the taxpayer's patent box profit, or (2 the taxpayer's taxable income for the taxable year. Defines "patent box profit" to include gross receipts derived from the sale, lease, license, or or other disposition of qualified patent property in the course of a U.S. trade or business over the sum of the taxpayer's cost of goods sold allocable to patent gross receipts, other expenses, losses, or deductions, including research and development expenditures, allocable to such receipts, plus routine profit. Defines "qualified patent" to include a patent issued or extended by, or for which an application is pending before, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Sets forth rules for the application of the patent box profit deduction to pass-thru entities, including partnerships and S corporations, trusts and estates, and agricultural and horticultural cooperatives.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-07-10 00:00:00

Patent Litigation and Innovation Act of 2013 - Directs a party alleging infringement in a civil action arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents to include in the court pleadings:

 an identification of each patent and claim allegedly infringed as well as the accused apparatus, product, feature, device, method, system, process, function, act, service, or other instrumentality (referred to as an "accused instrumentality") alleged to infringe any such claim; an identification of the name or model number of accused instrumentalities that allegedly result in the practice of a claimed invention; for each accused instrumentality, an explanation of where each element of each asserted claim identified is found within the accused instrumentality, whether each such element is infringed literally or under the doctrine of equivalents, and how the terms in each asserted claim correspond to the functionality of the accused instrumentality; for each claim alleged to have been infringed indirectly, a description of the direct infringement, any person alleged to be a direct infringer known to the party alleging infringement, and the acts of the alleged indirect infringer that contribute to or are inducing the direct infringement; a description of the right of the party alleging infringement to assert each identified patent and claim; the principal business of the party alleging infringement; and the identity of any person other than the party alleging infringement, known to the party alleging infringement, who: (1) owns or co-owns an identified patent or is the assignee of, or an exclusive licensee to, such patent; or (2) has a legal or financial right to enforce an identified patent. Sets forth procedures with respect to the joinder of parties, stays of action against secondary parties (parties accused of infringing a patent in dispute based on the use, distribution, resale, or consumption of a product or process by a primary party), and stays of discovery until the court has ruled on any motions to dismiss or transfer venue. Permits the court to expand discovery in extraordinary circumstances.

Directs the court, upon final adjudication, to include in the record specific findings on the compliance by each party and attorney with Federal Rules of Civil Procedure addressing proper representations to the court, including findings that motions and pleading were not presented to harass, delay, or increase litigation costs and that claims were nonfrivolous and based on evidentiary support.

Authorizes sanctions for: (1) a willful failure to preserve evidence during a stay of discovery, and (2) a violation of the representation to the court rules.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2013-07-18 00:00:00

Songwriters Tax Simplification Reauthorization Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for depreciation, to make permanent the taxpayer election to amortize over a five-year period expenses incurred in creating or acquiring a musical composition or any copyright with respect to such composition.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-07-22 00:00:00

Stopping the Offensive Use of Patents Act or the STOP Act - Amends the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act to remove the eight-year sunset provision with respect to the transitional post-grant review program available to review the validity of covered business method patents, thereby making the program permanent.

Expands the term "covered business method patent" to include a patent that claims a method or corresponding apparatus for performing data processing or other operations used in the practice, administration, or management of any enterprise, product, or service, except technological inventions. (Current law limits the program to financial products or services.)

Requires the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property) to work with and support intellectual property law associations throughout the United States, within established pro bono programs, to assist financially under-resourced resellers, users, implementers, distributors, or customers of an allegedly infringing product or process.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-09-30 00:00:00

Free Market Royalty Act - Amends federal copyright law to provide a public performance right for all audio transmissions of sound recordings, thereby extending such right to require terrestrial AM/FM broadcast radio stations to pay royalties for non-digital audio transmissions. (Currently, a performance right for sound recordings is provided only with respect to digital transmissions by cable, satellite, and Internet radio stations.)

Eliminates statutory licensing royalty rates set by Copyright Royalty Judges (CRJs) for the public performance of sound recordings by noninteractive digital audio services.

Allows any noninteractive services performing sound recordings publicly by means of an audio transmission (including cable, satellite, Internet, and AM/FM broadcasters) to collectively negotiate royalty rates for such performances.

Designates SoundExchange, Inc. (an independent, nonprofit organization that collects and distributes royalties), or any successor entity, as the sole common agent to negotiate, agree to, pay, and receive royalty payments.

Authorizes copyright owners of sound recordings, if a license is agreed to by the common agent, to subsequently negotiate and agree to royalty rates and license terms and conditions with any noninteractive services for the performance of such sound recordings (thus allows copyright owners to opt-out of rates or conditions negotiated by the common agent and to instead negotiate direct licenses for their recordings).

Sets forth the royalty payment distributions to be made by the common agent to copyright owners, featured recording artists, and non-featured musicians and vocalists.

Establishes procedures for CRJs to set rates and terms for nonsubscription broadcasts consisting solely of noncommercial educational and cultural radio programs when such rates and terms are not negotiated and agreed upon collectively between the common agent and the noncommercial educational broadcast station.

Modifies ephemeral recording requirements (licenses to reproduce phonorecords to facilitate transmissions) to account for the removal of statutory licensing procedures.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-10-28 00:00:00

Innovation Protection Act - Establishes in the Treasury the United States Patent and Trademark Office Public Enterprise Fund (Public Enterprise Fund) to be used as a revolving fund by the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) without fiscal year limitation.

Requires to be credited to or deposited in the Public Enterprise Fund: (1) appropriations for defraying the costs of USPTO activities; (2) fees collected under federal patent and trademark laws; and (3) any unobligated balances remaining in the Patent and Trademark Office Appropriation Account and in the Patent and Trademark Fee Reserve Fund. (Thus, replaces the Patent and Trademark Office Appropriation Account, eliminates the Patent and Trademark Fee Reserve Fund, and provides a source of permanent funding for the USPTO.)

Requires fees collected by the Director to remain available to the Director until expended.

Makes the Public Enterprise Fund available to cover: (1) ordinary and reasonable administrative, operating, and other expenses incurred by the Director for the continued operation of USPTO services, programs, activities, and duties relating to patents and trademarks; and (2) expenses incurred pursuant to obligations, representations, or other commitments of the USPTO.

Requires the Director, on an annual basis, to: (1) report to Congress with operation and spending plans, including financial details and staff levels broken down by each major activity; (2) provide for an independent audit of USPTO financial statements; and (3) submit a budget to the President.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-12-12 00:00:00

Protect Advanced Communications for Emergency Services Act of 2013 or the PACES Act - Requires any patent infringement action against certain wireless carriers (excluding mobile satellite service operators) or IP-enabled voice service providers based on their use of technologies complying with requirements of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide 9-1-1, enhanced 9-1-1, or other emergency communication services (such as the delivery of 9-1-1 calls with next generation text, picture, and video technologies capable of automatically identifying number and location information to emergency service personnel) to be filed in accordance with federal judicial code procedures under which a patent or copyright owner's remedy is by an action against the United States in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. (Thus, specifies that such 9-1-1 services are provided by or for the United States with authorization or consent of the United States.)
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2014-02-25 00:00:00

Songwriter Equity Act of 2014 - Amends federal copyright law regarding the exclusive rights of sound recording copyright owners to remove a provision that prohibits license fees payable for the public performance of sound recordings, by means of a digital audio transmission, from being taken into account in any administrative, judicial, or other governmental proceeding to set or adjust the royalties payable to copyright owners of musical works for the public performance of their works.

Requires Copyright Royalty Judges (CRJs), when setting royalty rates under the compulsory license available for the reproduction and distribution of musical works (commonly referred to as a "mechanical license"), to establish rates and terms that most clearly represent the rates and terms that would have been negotiated in the marketplace between a willing buyer and seller.

Requires CRJs, in establishing such rates and terms, to base their decision on marketplace, economic, and use information presented by the participants. Allows consideration of comparable uses and circumstances under voluntary license agreements.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2014-02-26 00:00:00

American Royalties Too Act of 2014 - Expands copyright owners' exclusive rights, in the case of a work of visual art, to include the right to collect or authorize the collection of a royalty if the work is sold by a person other than the author for at least $5,000 in an auction.

Defines "auction" as a public sale of visual art to the highest bidder run by an entity that sold at least $1 million of works of visual art during the previous year.

Revises the term "work of visual art" to make requirements for photographs consistent with requirements for paintings, drawings, and prints. (Currently, a photograph must be a still photographic image produced for exhibition purposes only.)

Limits the amount of such a royalty to the lesser of: (1) 5% of the purchase price; or (2) $35,000, subject to cost-of-living adjustments.

Directs entities conducting such auctions to collect and pay the royalties to a visual artists' copyright collecting society. Requires the collecting society, at least four times each year, to distribute the appropriate royalties (minus administrative expenses) to authors or successor copyright owners.

Requires an author of a work of visual art, in order to be eligible to receive such a royalty, to: (1) be a citizen of, or domiciled in, the United States or a country that provides resale royalty rights; or (2) have first created the work in the United States or a country that provides such royalty rights.

Establishes a copyright infringement offense for the failure to pay such a royalty. Subjects infringers to: (1) statutory damages, and (2) liability for the full royalty.

Prohibits the sale, assignment, or waiver of the right to collect such a royalty, subject to exceptions for works made for hire and transfers of copyright ownership.

Directs the Register of Copyrights to issue regulations governing visual artists' copyright collecting societies.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Law
Date: 2014-05-29 00:00:00

Respecting Senior Performers as Essential Cultural Treasures Act or the RESPECT Act - Requires digital music services (certain services providing digital transmissions of music by Internet radio, cable, or satellite) that transmit sound recordings under the statutory license provided under federal copyright law to pay royalties for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, in the same manner as they pay royalties for sound recordings protected by federal copyright that are fixed after such date. (Currently, sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, are governed by state laws and are not subject to federal copyright laws that require music services to pay a performance royalty for transmitting such recordings.)

Provides a remedy under which performance royalties for the transmission of such recordings may be recovered in a civil action in federal court if a digital music service fails to make such payments.

Prohibits an infringement action against a transmitting entity from being brought under a state law if the appropriate royalty is paid under this Act.

Declares that this Act does not confer federal copyright protection upon such recordings fixed before February 15, 1972 (sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, remain under applicable state laws notwithstanding the payment of royalties under federal statutory licensing requirements).

Terminates this Act on February 15, 2067.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Law
Date: 2014-07-15 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on September 15, 2014. The summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

Establishes the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to allow students enrolled in a participating law school's clinic to practice patent and trademark law before the USPTO on a pro-bono basis for clients that qualify for assistance from the law school's clinic.

Requires the USPTO Director to establish regulations and procedures for application to and participation in such program. Makes all law schools accredited by the American Bar Association eligible to participate in the program after being examined for acceptance using identical criteria.

Provides for the program to be in effect for the 10-year period after enactment of this Act.

Requires the Director, within two years after enactment of this Act, to report to Congress regarding the work done through the program and the number of participating law schools and students.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2014-09-18 00:00:00

You Own Devices Act - Amends federal copyright law to allow the owner of a machine or other product operated in any part by a computer program to transfer an authorized copy of the computer program, or the right to obtain such copy, when the owner sells, leases, or otherwise transfers the machine or product to another person. Prohibits such right to transfer the computer program from being waived by any agreement.

Requires any right to receive modifications to such a computer program relating to security or error correction that applied to the owner of the machine or product to apply to the person to whom the machine or product and the copy of the computer program are transferred.

Prohibits this Act from being construed to permit the owner to retain an unauthorized copy of the computer program after such a transfer.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Law
Date: 2013-03-21 00:00:00

No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act - Amends the Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to prohibit U.S. courts from recognizing, enforcing, or otherwise validating any assertion of rights by an individual (under current law, by a designated Cuban national) of a mark, trade name, or commercial name that was used in connection with a business or assets that were confiscated by the Cuban government unless the original owner of such mark or name, or such owner's bona fide successor, has expressly consented. Applies such prohibition only if the individual asserting the rights knew or had reason to know at the time of acquiring the rights asserted that the mark or name was the same or substantially similar to the mark or name used in connection with the business or assets that were confiscated.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-04-23 00:00:00

Promoting Automotive Repair, Trade, and Sales Act of 2013 or the PARTS Act - Declares that it is not an act of infringement, with respect to a design patent that claims a component part of a motor vehicle as originally manufactured, to: (1) make, test, or offer to sell within, or import into, the United States any article of manufacture that is similar or the same in appearance to the component part claimed in such design patent if the purpose of such article is for the repair of a motor vehicle to restore its appearance as originally manufactured; or (2) use or sell within the United States any such same or similar articles for such restorations more than 30 months after the claimed component part is first offered for public sale as part of a motor vehicle in any country.

Defines "component part" as a component part of the exterior of a motor vehicle only (such as a hood, fender, tail light, side mirror, or quarter panel), excluding an inflatable restraint system or other component part located in the interior of a motor vehicle.

Specifies that an offer to sell includes any marketing of an article of manufacture to prospective purchasers or users and any pre-sale distribution.

Applies this Act to any patent issued, or application filed, before, on, or after the effective date of this Act.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Copyrights and Patents
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2013-05-06 00:00:00

Patent Quality Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act to remove the eight-year sunset provision with respect to the transitional post-grant review program available to review the validity of covered business method patents, thereby making the program permanent.

Expands the term "covered business method patent" to include a patent that claims a method or corresponding apparatus for performing data processing or other operations used in the practice, administration, or management of any enterprise, product, or service, except technological inventions. (Current law limits the program to financial products or services.)