Senator Coons says trade secrets are a vital part of U.S. intellectual property

Senator Coons attended an oversight hearing last week that demonstrated how U.S. intellectual property is a key driver of our economy and made clear the importance of IP enforcement efforts.

At the hearing, Victoria Espinel, the President’s Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, referred to a March 2012 report by the Department of Commerce that estimated IP-intensive industries contribute $5 trillion dollars annually to the U.S. economy.  Chris thanked Victoria for her work to coordinate IP enforcement, which last year saw a 33% increase in enforcement activity stemming from just a 5% increase in funding.

Chris also pointed out that the Department of Commerce report looked only at patents, copyright and trademark, but did not examine the role of trade secrets.  Like patents, trade secrets are advancements which enable a business to make something more quickly, more cheaply, or better performing.  The weaving technology that allows DuPont to turn strands of fiber into Kevlar body armor is a trade secret, as is the formula behind Coca-Cola.  Trade secrets, unlike patents, can last far into the future, so long as the owner keeps them secret and a competitor is not able to reverse-engineer the advance.

At the hearing, Chris also warned that trade secret theft is a growing problem and, in many cases, is done at the direction of foreign governments.  “I can tell you,” Coordinator Espinel responded, “trade secret theft is an enormous priority for us, and I think it’s clear that . . . the negative implications for our ability to compete globally when we lose trade secrets . . . are very significant.”

Although the FBI increased the number of criminal trade secret cases by 29 percent last year, more work remains to be done.  Chris is an original cosponsor of the Economic Espionage Penalty Enforcement Act, which aims to address the problem of low sentences for these crimes.  Chris has also spoken about his desire to create a federal civil private right of action for trade secret theft, which would provide businesses with a uniform, reliable, and predictable way to protect their valuable trade secrets anywhere in the nation.

ICYMI: Senator Coons’ op-ed on global Internet freedom

The Huffington Post: Senator Chris Coons, a co-chair of the Senate Global Internet Freedom Caucus, penned an op-ed on Thursday supporting the right of citizens around the world to use the Internet to exchange thoughts, opinions, and expressions. The op-ed argues it is America’s duty to ensure foreign governments and the private sector are working to preserve the basic right of Internet freedom.

Popular movements and entrenched governments both clearly see how the unique power of the Internet can spread democratic ideas and demands for human rights and basic freedoms.

These fundamental values, which should be granted to citizens around the world as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are central to who we are as Americans.

We must continue to pursue an American foreign policy that protects the "right to connect" as a U.S. foreign policy priority. The Senate Global Internet Freedom Caucus advocates for the promotion of policies that promotes rights of all people to use the Internet and other forms of technology to exercise basic freedoms globally. In order to achieve this goal, we must engage with governments, individuals, and the private sector to preserve the Internet as an open platform for commerce and communication.

Click here to read the full op-ed on The Huffington Post's website.

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work on foreign relations.

Combating violations of the Do Not Call Registry

Over the last six weeks, our office has heard from a number of constituents who are signed up for the national Do Not Call Registry, yet are still receiving solicitation calls at home. Many of the calls seem to come from one entity, “Cardholder Services,” which continues to contact Delawareans even if they are in the Do Not Call Registry.

We are taking action to address this problem as quickly as possible.

In the past, the Federal Trade Commission took action against a telemarketing scam where a solicitor identifies themselves as “Rachel from Cardholder Services.” It seems as if those behind the current calls have picked up the audio and dialing technology from that scam.

The FTC is working to shut down as many of these copycats as they can, but they have advised us that the best defense is a good offense. So, we want to spread the word among Delawareans: never share your credit card number, Social Security number, or any other personal information with unsolicited, unknown callers. Getting phone calls at home is annoying, but the consequences of identity fraud can be devastating.

Many of these “Cardholder Services” calls claim to be able to negotiate lower interest rates with your credit card companies, if you just pay them a fee first.  Don’t fall for it! It is illegal to take fees upfront before providing services, and the FTC says that the companies behind these calls can’t do anything for you that you can’t do for yourself – for free.

If you have received calls like these despite being on the Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. You should also feel free to contact Senator Coons’ Wilmington office at (302) 573-6345.

Advancing clean energy through solar power

While Capitol Hill continues to be the center of continuing debate regarding the way forward for our economy, scores of Americans in Delaware and across the country are taking decisive measures to advance clean energy solutions through solar power.

In order to reengage and revitalize our workforce, and facilitate a long-term sustainable energy industry, the United States must invest in clean alternative energy sources. Over the last year, solar power has emerged as one the fastest growing industries in America.  According to the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of global energy needs through greater use of solar energy technologies, more than 100,000 jobs have been created within the solar industry. Between August 2010 and August 2011, an estimated 6,735 new solar jobs were created, accounting for an industry growth of 6.8 percent. 

Delaware has taken an active role in bolstering the growing solar industry sector. SolarDock, a Delaware-based solar company, has expanded 400 percent since 2007 and boasts clients that include Fortune 500 businesses, manufacturing and warehouse facilities, schools and universities, retail centers and medical facilities.

The rise of the solar industry has translated into lower unit costs and greater accessibility for consumers.  According to the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s “Tracking the Sun IV” report the average cost of installing residential and commercial solar photovoltaic systems in the U.S. dropped a record 17 percent in 2010, and it continued to drop an additional 11 percent through the first-half of 2011.

Delaware is also on the leading edge of solar technology research.  The University of Delaware’s Solar Energy Program continues to build upon groundbreaking research in the efficiency of solar cells.  In September, UD’s solar program was successful in winning $7.8 million in research funding through a recent Department of Energy’s solar Sunshot Awards announcement.

Just as Delaware has remained on the forefront regarding clean energy, Chris has remained a staunch advocate of investing in innovative, efficient, and ecologically friendly pathways forward in energy development.  In his role as a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, he is committed to finding practical ways to incentivize investments in clean energy projects and boost commercialization of alternative energy industries. 

To learn more about Chris’ energy priorities and his work on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, click here.

Supporting job creation

In the ten months since I began my service in the Senate, petty partisan politics has caused Congress to spend tragically little time confronting our nation’s slow economic recovery.

The politics that nearly shutdown our government in April and nearly caused our nation to default in July must be put aside when Congress returns to Washington this week. We have a jobs crisis in America, and it is long past time Congress shows it’s engaged in solving it.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve visited dozens of employers and convened a series of roundtable discussions with Delawareans, since I believe the best ideas for propelling our economic recovery aren’t going to come from Washington, but from those on the front lines of the economy.

Our nation doesn’t have a shortfall of good ideas, merely a lack of political will to turn those ideas into action. In fact, there are dozens of strong bills Congress can and should consider immediately to make an impact.

You’ll find 38 of those ideas in my legislative strategy for job creation, A Blueprint for American Jobs, which you can read now and weigh-in on by clicking here.

My legislative strategy for job creation focuses on six critical areas that join together progressive and conservative proposals, and the voices of business owners and out-of-work Delawareans: 

• Invest in critical infrastructure projects
• Reform our tax code and stabilize our nation’s debt
• Offer greater support for America’s small businesses
• Develop and protect the next generation of American technology and ingenuity
• Strengthen America’s global trade posture
• Invest in an educated workforce

I want to know what you think about this strategy and what ideas you have for helping America’s businesses create jobs. Please take a look and let me know what you think:

http://coons.senate.gov/blueprint

Congress cannot just sit by while millions of Americans are unemployed, and millions more are underemployed. As the Senate resumes its work in Washington this week, I promise to do everything possible to support positive, bipartisan steps that will not only lead to new jobs being created, but will connect out-of-work Americans with those jobs.

Senator Coons releases jobs plan

With input from Delawareans at three roundtable discussions the Senator hosted in August, and from hundreds of meetings and conversations with business leaders and out-of-work Delawareans this year, today Senator Coons released his six-point jobs plan, dubbed, "A Blueprint for American Jobs."

“As today's disappointing jobs report re-confirms,Congress needs to pursue a new jobs agenda,” Senator Coons said, “one that will not only lead to the growth of skilled and sustainable American jobs for decades ahead but that will also put Americans back to work now. Instability in the job market is an urgent threat that we need to address immediately.”

The strategy details 38 bills that Congress could pass and ideas that Congress should explore to help propel America’s economic recovery. They are spread across six key actions:

• Invest in critical infrastructure projects
• Reform our tax code and stabilizing our nation’s debt
• Offer greater support for America’s small businesses
• Develop and protecting the next generation of American technology and ingenuity
• Strengthen America’s global trade posture
• Invest in an educated workforce

You can read the full plan by clicking here or by downloading it as PDF file by clicking on the image above.

Senator Coons is eager to hear what you think about the strategy and to hear your own ideas for job creation. Click here to tell him what you think.

Senator Coons hosts roundtable on high-tech jobs

NEWARK — Senator Coons hosted a roundtable discussion with more than a dozen participants from local cutting-edge research companies on Thursday. The 90-minute discussion, which was held at the Delaware Technology Park in Newark, was the second of three roundtables Chris is hosting this month to engage Delawareans in a conversation about job creation in the First State.

“I sincerely hope that the information flow that took place today was fruitful for all involved,” Chris said. “I know I learned a great deal by listening to what local manufacturing industry leaders had to say about hiring and maintaining a skilled-workforce to help keep their companies solvent. If we’re going to jumpstart the economy, we have to continue to support the manufacturing community right here at home." 

Chris encouraged a dialogue that focused on what’s good about doing business in Delaware and what can be done to make the First State an even better place for companies to lay down their roots. Chris feels strongly that once businesses come to Delaware, it is up to all levels of government to support them and keep them here. Among topics discussed were targeted tax credits, improved access to capital, “wet” lab space for biotechnology research, patent reform, trade enforcement, and stronger investments in math and science education.

In April, Chris introduced his first bill, the Job Creation Through Innovation Act, to jumpstart domestic manufacturing and help innovative small business grow by:

• Expanding, simplifying and making permanent the Research & Development Tax Credit
• Creating a new Small Business Innovation Tax Credit
• Creating a new Domestic Manufacturing Tax Credit
• Extending the 1603 Treasury Grants Program
• Investing in the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit

Chris will host a third roundtable on August 31 to discuss community-based small businesses.

New fuel standards and creating jobs for Delaware

In a win-win-win for the environment, the nation, and consumers, the White House on Friday announced an historic agreement with 13 major automakers to pursue the next phase in the Administration’s national vehicle program, increasing fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025. This will go a long way as we try to decrease our dependence on petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

The President was joined in the agreement by Ford, GM, Chrysler, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar/Land Rover, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo – which together account for over 90% of all vehicles sold in the United States – as well as the United Auto Workers (UAW), and the State of California, who were integral to developing this agreement.

These new standards will save American families money at the pump, for a total of $1.7 trillion in fuel savings over the life of the program. The standards will cut our oil dependence, reducing oil consumption by an estimated 2.2 million barrels a day in 2025 (eventually reaching more than 4 million barrels a day as the fleet turns over), and saving 12 billion barrels in total over the lifetime of the program. And they will clean up our environment, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 6 billion metric tons over the life of the program, while reducing pollutants like air toxics, cause soot, and smog. 

In addition to saving fuel, the new standards will help spur the development of advanced vehicle technology such as the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to be produced in the new Fisker production facility in Delaware. The Fisker Karma pictured below is the world’s first premium plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Incentivizing offshore wind power development

Senator Coons joined Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), and a bipartisan group of original cosponsors in introducing the Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act this week. This legislation would encourage the development of offshore wind projects by extending the current investment tax credit for offshore wind power beyond the current 2012 deadline.

Chris spoke highly of the burgeoning industry and its potential impact on the country:  “An investment in offshore wind energy is an investment in our country's economic future and national security,” Chris said. “I've seen the opportunities from the NRG Bluewater Wind project off Delaware's coast and understand the hurdles this company and many other developers are facing to get their projects off the ground.  However, I’m encouraged by this bipartisan legislation to expand offshore wind energy through targeted tax incentives.  By tapping the offshore wind energy sector, we are further ensuring our country remains a leader in clean, renewable energy development that will create a wealth of new high-tech jobs in the region.”

Offshore wind offers enormous potential for producing clean domestic energy and quality, middle-class jobs in areas located close to population centers along Delaware’s coast. Our coastal waters contain a vast, untapped resource for clean, domestic power, as wind blows faster and more uniformly at sea than it does on land.  According to the University of Delaware, wind off the Atlantic Coast has the potential to generate enough power to replace about 300 coal plants and to support the energy needs of nine states from Massachusetts to North Carolina. 

In May 2007, NRG Bluewater Wind entered into an agreement with Delmarva Power to construct a wind park off the Delaware coast, making the state one of the pioneers in the nation in wind energy technology deployment.  NRG Bluewater Wind has estimated it will create 1,200 jobs in Delaware during the design and construction phase and approximately 300 jobs for operation and maintenance throughout the life of the project.  The company’s proposed offshore wind park would produce enough energy to power 100,000 homes across the state.

“Two hundred years ago the trade winds first brought commerce to this country,” Chris has said last November about the NRG Bluewater Wind project, “and today we're harnessing those same trade winds to create green energy in Delaware and along the Atlantic Coast, an investment that will play a central role in our continuing economy recovery.”

For more information about Chris’ work on renewable energy, click here.  

Encouraging civics in Delaware schools through the Democracy Project

On Wednesday, Senator Coons met with a group of social studies teachers from across Delaware to discuss civics education.  The teachers were here in the Capitol as part of the University of Delaware’s Democracy Project Institute for Teachers.  Chris was joined by Senator Carper and Congressman Carney as well, and the three fielded questions from the teachers about the Delaware delegation’s work in Congress and addressed the challenges that Delaware’s teachers, students and parents must work together to solve.

Drawing on his own high school experiences, Chris discussed how bullying and discrimination in our schools is not a new phenomenon.  He acknowledged that combating bullying would not be easy and would have to be accompanied by a change in culture in many communities.  Singling out an individual or group due to physical appearance, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation should not be acceptable in society and has no place in any of Delaware’s schools.  New technology, such as instant messaging, social media, and text messaging has created another forum where bullying and discrimination can take place often undetected.  Limiting abuses of these new technologies and combating the old forms of bullying requires hard work from teachers and parents to teach respect and tolerance – both in the classroom and at home.         

Every student in Delaware, in public and private schools alike, has the ability to succeed, Chris told the group.  He spoke about our responsibility to create an environment that allows all children to achieve their potential.  Closing the achievement gap between the sexes, for minorities, and for those with learning disabilities is a goal shared by teachers, administrators, and policy makers alike.  Chris plans to work with Senator Carper and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to promote substantial education reform, providing students and educators with the critical resources they need to help students succeed in an increasingly competitive workforce.

The Democracy Project is a teacher development program co-sponsored by the University of Delaware and the Delaware Department of State with the goal of improving the teaching of civics and social studies in Delaware schools.  Over the past decade, its summer institute for teachers has brought 150 teachers to Washington to hear from elected officials and discuss ways to improve civics education and inspire active youth citizenship on the K-12 grade levels.  

For more information about the Democracy Project, visit:  http://www.ipa.udel.edu/democracy/institute/.  To read more about Chris’ ideas for education reform, click here.