The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation today voted 14-14 to advance the nomination of Gigi Sohn to serve as a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission. Committee Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) opposed the nomination, explaining that “the committee’s vetting process has clarified she’s not the right choice to fill this vacancy” due to several conflicts of interest. Groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also vocally opposed Sohn’s nomination this week. In December, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) wrote a letter to President Biden asking Biden to withdraw Sohn’s nomination, explaining that her role as a co-founder of the open Internet advocacy group Public Knowledge poses a threat to copyright owners in particular. “[Sohn] is a radical open-content activist with no respect for intellectual property rights,” Tillis wrote.
Recent Posts
- Other Barks & Bites for Friday, July 26: New Group Registration for Frequently Updated News Websites, Trade Secret Claims Against TikTok Survive Dismissal, and USPTO’s Estoppel Provisions in IPR Proceedings Upheld
- Call Off Chicken Little: The Sky is Not Falling for Skinny Labeling After GSK v. Teva
- CAFC Committee Recommends Another Year of Sanctions Against Newman
- Massie Tells House IP Subcommittee Witnesses He’s ‘Appalled’ By Proposals to Rein in ITC’s Patent Powers
- CAFC Invalidates Remaining Claim on Data Transmission Patent, Remands Substitute Claims for Collateral Estoppel Determination