Cat voices support for patent legislation

Caterpillar Inc. on Thursday expressed its support for a bill that would create laws to help Illinois companies protect their intellectual property and is now awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature.

Caterpillar officials were joined at a news conference by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan urging support of the bill, which her office drafted as a way to protect Illinois business from “patent trolls.”

“We need better protections for business owners facing fraudulent and costly demands from patent trolls,” Madigan said during the news conference at Caterpillar’s Tech Center in Mossville. “This legislation will put a stop to these abusive practices while ensuring legitimate patent holders maintain their ability to pursue infringement claims.”

Senate Bill 3405 was drafted and passed with assistance from Caterpillar representatives and other business and consumer protection advocates. The legislation was carefully crafted so that it cracks down on patent trolls that have sent thousands of misleading demand letters to businesses demanding licensing payments or threatening legal action for supposedly violating a patent, while at the same time ensuring the measure does not limit the rights of legitimate patent holders such as Caterpillar and other manufacturers and retailers in Illinois.

“We want to ensure that legitimate good faith patent communications can continue, while at the same time inhibit the sending of patent demand letters in bad faith,” said Jim Blass, director of Product Validation for Product Development and Global Technology at Caterpillar. “The bill crafted by the Attorney General accomplishes that goal.”

Caterpillar was perhaps the most vocal of Illinois-based companies in stating the belief that Illinois is not business-friendly and the lack of protection for patent owners was but one of the reasons cited by Caterpillar Chairman Doug Oberhelman and other Caterpillar representatives in the past couple years.

In their demand letters, patent trolls fail to disclose basic information, including the actual owner of the alleged patent and the circumstances surrounding any alleged infringement. Identical letters have been sent to thousands of businesses and often falsely threaten litigation even though the patent trolls have no intention of filing lawsuits. In some cases, patent trolls have targeted businesses for simply purchasing office supply products in the commercial market.

This legislation would ban patent demand letters that:

• Contain false or deceptive information;
• Are sent by individuals who do not have the right to license or enforce a patent;
• Falsely threaten litigation if a fee is not paid; and
• Fail to identity the individual asserting the patent and explain the alleged infringement.

The deadline to sign the bill into law is August 26. The bill was sponsored by State Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, and State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago.

Also working with Madigan’s office and bill sponsors to pass the legislation were the following groups: Community Bankers Association of Illinois, Illinois Press Association, Illinois Credit Union League, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois CPA Society, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Home Builders Association of Illinois, Illinois Association of Realtors, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

Gordon: IGNITE a true local showcase

As I stood watching all those local theatre people in one place, doing the singing and choreography for a song they’d starting learning barely an hour early, I felt awestruck. Not necessarily by those doing the song because I know most of them and am well aware of their talent.

The feeling I had was from the realization that IGNITE Peoria! was happening at that time, last Saturday morning at the Peoria Civic Center. Many artists from our area had pulled together to show the public just what they could find and do here, from performance arts to visual arts to everything in between.

And the feeling also come from the realization that with all the artists and genres that were represented at the inaugural IGNITE Peoria!, they really only scratched the surface of central Illinois. While much of the Civic Center was filled, there is so much more that could be displayed it could be overwhelming (which is why IGNITE needs more than one day in the future).

By way of disclosure, I should mention I serve on the board of directors of Art Partners, the chief sponsor of IGNITE, and I was there to help attendees find where they were going. I also am heavily involved in community theatre here, particularly Corn Stock Theatre, so I was lucky that the door I was put at was next to the community theatre stage in the grand hall of the Civic Center.

It was on that stage that Pam Orear and local choreographers such as Tamra Challacombe and Peggy Breaux Hupp took performers young and old, taught them a fairly elaborate dance and song from the musical “Newsies” and, within an hour and a half, had them performing it for the public and for a filming. Talent reigned on that stage, which also was the location of Peoria Players Theatre’s preview of its upcoming season.

When my shift ended, I walked throughout the facility and enjoyed so much of what was there. That included the IGNITE Invitational Car Show hosted by local car artist Darius Donaldson. It was a display of some of the coolest customizations I’ve ever seen on cars, trucks and motorcycles.

There were booths where people could see firsthand how some things are made, things most probably had never thought about. They included clothes and blankets and banners and rugs. There were metal stamps created, a caricaturist showing how he can look at a face and draw it in minutes, and artists who make pictures depicting personalities out of mosaic tiles inviting the public to help. A mosaic portrait of one of our most famous native artists, Richard Pryor, was well underway when I walked through.

The public also was invited to help and learn from weavers, woodworkers, metal workers, jewelry makers, photographers, basket weavers, origami artists, painters, magicians… I could go on but it was amazing to me how many there were filling the exhibit halls or the largest Civic Center in downstate Illinois.

I also realized what I didn’t see that I hope will be among those on display in the future. We have some very fine sculptors here who should be part of something like this. The number of fine painters was not as well represented as it could have been.

Performance arts groups included a couple community theatres, the Peoria Ballet and the Cornerstone, but there are many others that weren’t involved this year.

Don’t get me wrong; I am not being critical. I’m simply saying there are very many more artists in the area than most of us realize.

More than 6,300 people walked through the Civic Center during the IGNITE Peoria! event last Saturday, an impressive number for an inaugural event such as this. As I walked around and talked with some or simply listened and observed, I could tell many felt as I did, that they didn’t realize all the different types of art and how much of it Peoria has available.

“This is fantastic,” one woman told me. “I need more than one day to see it all.”

“I had no idea this was out here,” said another. “I mean, some of the things we use in our lives every day that we don’t think of as art really is art if only because of the skill it takes to make them. And the art we recognize as art is as good coming from our local people as you’ll find in any bigger city.”

That was what Jim Wetherington, general manager of the Civic Center, was thinking when he proposed an event that became IGNITE so the Civic Center could fill space in what is traditionally its slowest month of the year. It’s what Suzette Boulais, executive director of Arts Partners, and Kathy Chitwood, the event chairperson, were counting on as IGNITE was being planned. It was a question of reaching enough of them.

It was what those people and the tireless Megan Pedigo of the Civic Center, Kaci Osborne of the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Steve Fairbanks of the city of Peoria accomplished in a matter of months.

The investment by the city in our local arts community was welcomed and appreciated and this could serve as a catalyst for more such investment, in time or money or voice of all of the above, in the future, particularly as the Warehouse District moves forward.

As regular readers of The Peorian know, our aim here is to celebrate Peoria. Peoria is an All America City and the kind of hard work and talent that was displayed on Saturday as well as performed behind the scenes proves that once again. 

Global investor confidence in U.S. continues to rise

Global investor confidence in the United States significantly increased for the third consecutive year, driven by a combination of favorable capital markets, abundant investment opportunities in innovative companies and a strong investor climate, according to the 2014 Global Venture Capital Confidence Survey from Deloitte and the National Venture Capital Association.

Moreover, global investor confidence also increased in the United Kingdom, Israel and Canada, but continued to decline in Brazil,China and India, according to the survey.

Conducted in May and June of 2014, the 10th annual survey, gauged confidence levels of more than 300 venture capital, private equity and growth equity investors in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, assessing investor confidence on the global venture capital environment, market factors shaping industries, and investments in specific geographies and industry sectors. Confidence levels were measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with a score of 5 representing the most confidence.

"For the past three years the U.S. has seen a significant increase in investor confidence, continuing the trend which began to take hold in 2012," said Jim Atwell, national managing partner of the Emerging Growth Company practice, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "Improving capital market conditions lifted the pace of initial public offerings, fed by a strong lineup of new and innovative companies like we see on the Technology Fast 500^TM list, along with increased investor confidence both in the ability to fundraise as well as to achieve favorable returns on investment."

Venture capital fundraising has been picking up steam in recent quarters with U.S. venture capital firms having raised $7.4 billionin new commitments from 78 funds during the second quarter of 2014, according to Thomson Reuters and the NVCA. A 24 percent increase compared to the number of funds raised during the first quarter, marks the strongest quarter for the number of funds raised since the fourth quarter of 2007.

Venture capitalists invested $29.5 billionin 3,382 companies in 2013, according to the NVCA Yearbook. Software was the leading sector, receiving 37.3 percent of total dollars followed by biotechnology, which was less than half the amount at 15.4 percent of total investment. Among first fundings, software led the way with 591 companies getting their initial venture capital rounds, more than 46 percent of all first fundings.

In line with this, the survey found that global investors continued to invest and expressed the greatest enthusiasm for information technology-related sectors that are less capital intensive, particularly technology, mobile and cloud computing. At the same time, sectors requiring more capital intensive spends including hardware and semiconductors were viewed as the least favorable sectors.

"Continued confidence from global investors in the U.S. is welcome news for American innovators building next generation companies," said Bobby Franklin, president and CEO of NVCA. "In order to maintain this enthusiasm in U.S. innovation, policymakers in Washington need to come together to enact policies that support the creation of sustainable, high-growth companies that create jobs and drive economic growth." 

U.S. respondents' outlook on investing in U.S. opportunities again increased in 2014, scoring an average of 4.17 (up 41 basis points from 2013), according to the survey. At the same time U.S. confidence in the global capital markets grew, rising from 2.70 in 2013 to 2.99 in 2014.

Emerging markets again continued to decline among global investors. When asked about confidence in investing in a particular country, participants rated Brazil at 3.13, down 42 basis points from 2012, China at 3.27, down 18 basis points from 2012 and India at 3.08, down 16 basis points from 2012.

For the second year in a row, U.S. venture capital investors named cloud computing (4.29) as the area they were most confident investing in followed very closely by mobile technology (4.28), enterprise software (4.00) and health care IT and services (3.87). Moreover, U.S. investors exhibited the least confidence in energy/clean technologies (2.47) and semiconductors (2.33).

Global venture capital investors showed the greatest confidence in cloud computing (4.11), mobile (4.02), and health care IT and services (3.94). This group showed the least confidence for investments in hardware (2.83) and semiconductors (2.76). The U.S. (4.28) and China (4.20) were most confident in mobile, while Brazilshowed the highest confidence in cloud computing (4.31) and health care IT services (4.44). Robotics showed the biggest year-over-year increase up 43 basis points to 3.41

Overall confidence about the global economy increased 33 basis points from the prior year to a score of 3.20. A majority of investors – 55 percent – expressed a neutral sentiment about global economic prospects. Among U.S.-based participants, confidence in the global economy scored 2.96 (up 19 basis points from 2013).

Across the globe, the U.S. maintained its position as the best country to invest in, rating 4.03, trailed by Israel (3.71),Canada (3.48) and Germany (3.38). However, continuing the trend from last year's survey, U.S.-based respondents continue to doubt government's ability to enact policies that support domestic venture capital, private equity and growth equity investment in the coming year, with confidence in government policy making dropping from a collective 2.17 in 2013 to the lowest among the countries surveyed (2.05) in this year's survey.

"A global environment where capital flows to companies from creation to growth to exit depends, in part, on government policies that encourage investment in new ideas and provide a clear pathway for innovations to go to market," said Scott Sandell, general partner of New Enterprise Associates and chairman of NVCA. "Decreased confidence in government drives capital away from economies, and if more isn't done to improve the U.S. policymaking process, we could lose our foothold as the preeminent destination for innovation investment. The venture capital community will continue to look toward global economies where governments are committed to fostering the growth of innovation."

Confidence of respondents from 11 other countries in their government's support ranged from very high to very low, averaging a 3, but all of them had higher confidence levels than the U.S. respondents. The highest confidence levels of investors in their home government's ability to help domestic venture capitalists via incentives, policy and legislation were for India (3.83), China (3.63) and Japan (3.58).

For more information and the full 2014 Global Venture Capital Confidence Survey please visit:www.deloitte.com/us/2014vcsurvey.

Childhood obesity still top concern for parents; school violence fears increasing

Childhood obesity remains the top health concern for children in 2014, but when asked about national concerns adults put school violence and gun-related injuries in the top 10, according to a new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

In the poll's annual top 10 list, a nationwide sample of adults were asked to identify the biggest health concerns for kids in their communities, as well as kids nationwide. Overall, childhood obesity is rated at the top of both lists: 29 percent of adults said obesity is a 'big problem' for children in their local communities and 55 percent said it is 'big problem' across the country.

The top 10 rankings for 2014 are:

"Obesity remains a top child health problem overall, which has been a persistent concern in our annual top 10 polls along with others like bullying, smoking and drug abuse," says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

"But this year's top 10 lists differ in key ways. School violence and gun-related injuries are on the list of big child health problems from a national perspective, but not a local community perspective."

Recent shootings and other instances of violence in schools may have prompted concern among adults from a national perspective, says Davis, who also is professor of pediatrics, internal medicine, public policy and health management and policy at the U-M Medical School, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and School of Public Health.

The poll shows a strong link between many of the top 10 child health concerns to health behaviors of children and their families, says Davis, also a member of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. These concerns indicate that the public understands the powerful role of behavior in health – in terms of short-term impact and long-term consequences. Childhood obesity is a good example.

"Recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that rates of obesity in early childhood are decreasing in some states," says Davis.

"But we know obesity among children remains substantially higher than it was in generations past. So this poll reminds us that much of the public recognizes the need to keep working hard on this problem."

Davis says he hopes the results of this poll help health professionals, community leaders and elected representatives prioritize the threats to children's health in their own communities.

"We need to work hard together on these issues of greatest concern to the public, and take note of the particular national concern about school violence and gun-related injuries so we can address how to improve and safeguard our children's health," he says.

Full report: C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health
http://mottnpch.org/reports-surveys/school-violence-gun-related-injuries-top-10-child-health-concerns-us

Website: Check out the Poll's website: MottNPCH.org. You can search and browse over 80 NPCH Reports, suggest topics for future polls, share your opinion in a quick poll, and view information on popular topics. The National Poll on Children's Health team welcomes feedback on the website, including features you'd like to see added. To share feedback, e-mail NPCH@med.umich.edu.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mottnpch

Twitter: @MottNPCH

Additional resources:

1. Childhood Obesity:http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/
2. Bullying: StopBullying.gov: http://www.stopbullying.gov
3. Drug Abuse: The Partnership for a Drug Free America: http://www.drugfree.org/
4. Smoking and Tobacco Use: Protecting Your Child from Tobacco Use:http://www.cdc.gov/features/BackToSchool/
5. School Violence: http://www.pta.org/schoolviolence
6. Child Abuse and Neglect:  National Parent Helpline: http://www.nationalparenthelpline.org/
7. Alcohol Abuse: Stop Underage Drinking: https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/parents.aspx
8. Internet Safety: Enough is Enough - Making the Internet Safer for Children and Families:https://www.commonsensemedia.org/  
9. Gun related Injuries: http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/gun_safety.html
10. Teen Pregnancy: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/

The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health – based at the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan and funded by the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases and the University of Michigan Health System – is designed to measure major health care issues and trends for U.S. children.

This report presents findings from a nationally representative household survey conducted exclusively by GfK Custom Research, LLC (GfK) for C.S. Mott Children's Hospital via a method used in many published studies.  The survey was administered in June 2014 to a randomly selected, stratified group of adults age 18 or older (n=2,027), from GfK's web-enabled KnowledgePanel®, that closely resembles the U.S. population. The sample was subsequently weighted to reflect population figures from the Census Bureau. The survey completion rate was 58 percent among panel members contacted to participate. The margin of error is 1 to 4 percentage points and higher among subgroups.