IP Democracy: Silicon Valley Still Immune to the Power of DC

It’s funny how industries, particularly young industries, can be asleep at the switch when it comes to the power of government. Captains of new and meteoric businesses are quite often shocked, truly shocked, to discover that Congress, the Administration, regulatory agencies and the courts have the power to screw up their businesses.

I know this seems silly because we all learn about laws and government starting in grade school. So why would any business leader fail to grasp the risks posed by ill-crafted legislation, ambitious agency heads, lobbying-influenced policy shifts and all the other dangers that lurk in DC until it’s far too late? (Think about how Microsoft thought it could ignore or manipulate the Justice Deparment because it was, after all, Microsoft.)

Nowhere is the blindness to the power of government more evident than in Silicon Valley, a phenomenon widely discussed and debated in policy circles. Tom Foremski today offers up more proof of the high-tech industry’s indifference by pointing out that a smashing policy conference held in San Jose drew few attendees.

The Tech Policy Summit had an all-star line-up of speakers, including Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), who chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property. Despite the wattage of the speakers, attendance was low.

There was a low turnout at the Silicon Valley Tech Policy Summit in San Jose that was attributed to six inches of snow in Washington D.C. which grounded travelers.

But that doesn’t explain why there weren’t lots of Silicon Valley execs at the two day conference. Or rather, it shows that Silicon Valley’s traditional lack of interest in politics continues, despite numerous reasons why such ignorance can be damaging.

Mike at TechDirt noticed the low turn-out of tech types too. He puts part of the blame on the conference’s organizers and says it “would be nicer if they actually brought in more technology folks to take part.” I’m not sure the blame is appropriately placed there. You can offer a policy education to tech types, but you can’t force them to learn.

On a different note, Sean Garrett, who is a very savvy behind-the-scenes player in most DC matters that affect Silicon Valley, has a quick write-up here of the topics discussed at the event.

Posted by Cynthia Brumfield on February 28, 2007 8:37 AM to IP Democracy