Member Only Notice  

In this issue:

1. Member Registration Open for May 19 Quarterly Meeting 
2. Voice Your Opinion on "Patent Troll" Legislation
3. Colorado Crowdfunding Bill Becomes Law
    

1. Registration Now Open

Members are given a few days advance notice to register for the CPIA quarterly meeting scheduled for May 19 at GE Lighting in Longmont. Stephen Anderson, Industry & Market Strategist with SPIE (The International Society for Optics and Photonics) will share recent work that measures the core photonics components industry worldwide. He will also give an update on the International Year of Light and present each attendee with a complimentary copy of the SPIE publication "Celebrating Light". This will be a popular meeting, so register early to reserve your space.

Meeting Details and Registration 

2. Opportunity to Voice Your Opinion

Legislation Introduced to Address the Problem of "Patent Trolls"

Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Tom Marino (R-PA), and Ted Deutch (D-FL) have re-introduced the bipartisan Demand Letter Transparency Act to tackle the growing problem of patent trolls. Increasingly, businesses of every size are finding themselves on the receiving end of patent infringement demand letters. Rather than running the risk of complicated, time-consuming, and expensive litigation in federal court, many of these businesses simply choose to settle these claims, wasting valuable resources. The legislation is intended to make demand letters more transparent and more detailed, along with stricter enforcement and oversight.  

Read the press release from Polis. 

3. Colorado Crowdfunding Bill Signed Into Law

A measure that allows non-accredited investors in Colorado to purchase stock in local companies has been signed into law. Officials hope the equity-crowdfunding measure will unlock significant new funding sources for Colorado's booming startup and entrepreneurial scene.