Berkman Luncheon Series >

apr
9
2013

Disruptive Innovation in Washington, DC

Derek Khanna, Visiting Fellow at Yale Law's Information Society Project / Contributor to National Review, Human Events, the Atlantic & Poltix.

April 9, 12:30pm ET
Berkman Center for Internet & Society, 23 Everett St, 2nd Floor

How can a complacent Congress address real and systemic problems related to technology and antiquated legislation?  I will present a strategy for achieving positive technology policy reforms in Congress. Overall, I argue that we need to re-frame the policy questions, win small battles, and develop a working coalition. I will detail some key areas of reform of which I have been involved.

About Derek

Derek Khanna is a Yale Law Fellow with the Information Society Project, a columnist, policy expert and thought leader on technology and innovation. He has experience on two Presidential campaigns and working for the House and Senate, where he worked for Senator Scott Brown. Until recently, he was a staff member for the House Republican Study Committee, where he authored the widely read House Republican Study Committee report “Three Myths about Copyright Law.” In the two months since he was on Capitol Hill he has taken on the largely unknown issue of phone unlocking and created it as a national issue by spearheading a modern digital advocacy campaign. His unprecedented and unfunded campaign on cellphone unlocking included a White House petition that achieved over 114,000 signatures, which led to a White House endorsement, an FCC investigation, and several pieces of legislation to allow for unlocking.  He has spoken widely, since his time on the Hill he has spoken at the Consumer Electronics Show, South by Southwest, Conservative Political Action Conference, Princeton University, Freedom to Connect, and has made regular appearances on television. He is also a prolific writer, as a regular contributor to the National Review, Forbes, the Atlantic, Townhall, Daily Caller, and Human Events. He also has several law journal articles that will be published this spring. While only 25, Derek is considered to be an up and coming thought leader on technology policy.

Links

• Republican Study Committee: “Three Myths about Copyright Reform and How to Fix it.” (November 16, 2012).
• The National Review: “Fixing our H-1B Visa System” (December 13, 2012).
• Cato Unbound: “The Way Forward on Copyright Reform” (January 7, 2013).
• Cato Unbound: “The Problem with Natural-Law Copyright” (January 31, 2013).
• The Atlantic: “Ridiculous Law of 2013: It is Now a Crime to Unlock Your Phone” (January 27, 2013).
• The Atlantic: “The Law Against Unlocking Cellphone is Anti-Consumer, Anti-Business, and Anti-Common Sense” (February 11, 2013).
• Boing Boing: “Cellphone Unlocking is the First Step Towards Post-SOPA Copyright Reform” (February 22, 2013).
• The Atlantic: “White House Supports Unlocking, But That’s Just the Start.” (March 4, 2013)
• Techdirt: “Congress Rushes to Legalize Phone Unlocking; But Existing Bills Need a Lot More Work.” (March 8, 2013)