Shapiro Delivers Strong Political Message at CES

CEA head preaches reform of antiquated laws

Consumer Electronics Association head Gary Shapiro opened CES 2014 with a politically charged speech, issuing surprisingly blunt challenges to everyone from Congress to the government of China: "Believe in innovation: that should be our national strategy," Shapiro declared. "Every new law should be measured by whether it hurts or helps innovation."

Innovation, Shapiro said, is "too important to be choked by laws written long ago," including patent law, which the CEA has fought to change in order to frustrate patent trolls (lawyers who file broad patents and sue inventors for violating them, or in Shapiro's words, "Lawyers who do not produce any product or service but simply sue those that do").

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