CONTENTS
- Associations Comment on Potential Web Accessibility Rules
- FTC Issues Report on Patent Assertion Entities
- AAU Receives Grant From Northrop Grumman Foundation
- Advocates for NEH Highlight National Arts and Humanities Month
ASSOCIATIONS COMMENT ON POTENTIAL WEB ACCESSIBILITY RULES
AAU has signed on to an ACE-led comment letter responding to a Department of Justice (DOJ) request for comments on its proposal to revise regulations governing the accessibility of state and local government websites—including those of public universities—under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Department is considering establishing specific technical requirements for Web-based information these entities provide to the public.
The community letter expresses support for DOJ’s efforts to define public institutions’ ADA obligations with respect to Internet and digital media, but notes that the proposed rule poses unique challenges for institutions of higher education. Colleges and universities host and maintain public information and services-oriented websites like those of state and local agencies, but, unlike most agencies, their online presence is more than transactional and it is often decentralized. Institutions often lack direct control over the vast content residing on institution-supported servers, such as material uploaded by faculty and students. The letter offers several possible solutions that take into account the distinct nature of higher education institutions.
DOJ has indicated it will next turn its attention to comparable regulations that would affect private colleges and universities.
FTC ISSUES REPORT ON PATENT ASSERTION ENTITIES
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on October 6 issued a report on patent assertion entities (PAEs) which recommends legislative and judicial reforms to address nuisance patent litigation. The study does not focus on university technology transfer practices or address the Bayh-Dole technology transfer law.
The study, “ Patent Assertion Entity Activity ,” defines PAEs as businesses that acquire patents from third parties in order to generate revenue by enforcing those patents against alleged infringers. The study acknowledges the complexity of the patent system, observing that PAEs use different business models, not all of which center on nuisance litigation. The study also notes that the term “patent troll” is unhelpful “because it invites pre-judgement about the societal impact of patent assertion activity without an understanding of the underlying business model that fuels such activity.”
The FTC has cautioned that because the findings of the report are based on a relatively small case study—an analysis of 22 PAEs and 2,500 affiliates and related entities—they are not necessarily generalizable to all PAEs.
AAU RECEIVES GRANT FROM NORTHROP GRUMMAN FOUNDATION
AAU has received a five-year, $1 million grant from the Northrop Grumman Foundation to support the AAU STEM Education Network.
The Network is a group of faculty members and administrators at AAU universities working to improve undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teaching and learning.
The Network is part of AAU’s Undergraduate STEM Education Initiative, which aims to expand the use of evidence-based, student-centered teaching, in part, by changing the culture of university STEM departments.
ADVOCATES FOR NEH HIGHLIGHT NATIONAL ARTS AND HUMANITIES MONTH
Advocates for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) this week held a Check-In to spotlight National Arts and Humanities Month and encourage campus representatives to “check in” with their congressional delegations about their campus NEH-funded projects. NEH supporters continue to promote the activity on social media using the hashtag #NEHCheckIn.