Recently, we co-hosted a virtual roundtable on the administration's #intellectualproperty and #trade policy, featuring #USPTO Deputy Director Coke Stewart, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Rick Switzer, C4IP Co-Chair Andrei Iancu, and former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish.
Don't miss this op-ed by #C4IP Board Member and former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke:
"Our lead is slipping -- and time is short. To stay ahead in the race for #biotech dominance, we need to fix the #IP system that makes American #innovation possible."
Continue reading:
#ICYMI: C4IP ED Frank Cullen submitted public comments to the #USTR as part of the 2026 Special 301 Review, highlighting threats to #IP from multiple jurisdictions that jeopardize American #innovation and warrant Watch List or Priority Watch List designations in the final report.
Read it here:
📬 Want to stay in the know on the latest issues in #IP and #innovation?
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🌊 On 2/20/1902, John Philip Holland received a #patent for a submarine.
Holland's numerous submarine #innovations underpinned the beginning of America's submarine fleet, which now totals over 70 vessels and is critical to U.S. #nationalsecurity.
For more historic inventions:
Last month, the #USPTO hosted a special edition of its USPTO Hour webinar series focused on name, image, and likeness rights and branding for #athletes, #entertainers, and #influencers.
📽️ Missed it live? Watch the recording here:
February was a busy month for C4IP!
Read our "coalition updates" blog to see what we've been up to recently.
#Onthisday in history, 150 years ago, Alexander Graham Bell was granted a #patent for his revolutionary new technology: the telephone.
#Innovation like this is driven and supported by a reliable and effective #IP system, which has enabled the creation of #technologies used regularly today.
#DYK? IP-intensive industries are essential to the U.S. economy 📈
#IP-intensive industries account for over 40% of the U.S. #economy and support around 63 million #jobs, or 44% of all national employment.
Learn more:
Recently, C4IP Co-Chair David Kappos and #C4IP Chief Policy Officer and Counsel Jamie Simpson spoke on #IP law panel discussions at the 19th Annual University of Akron School of Law Winter Institute in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
For more info:
The latest edition of our IP Policy Roundup Newsletter is out now!
Read it here 👇
Don't miss this insightful piece by Emily Michiko Morris, associate faculty director of the #IP Policy Institute at the University of Akron School of Law:
"Unfortunately, proposed #legislation in #Congress threatens to undermine #Buckeye scientists by weakening the #patent protections..."
🎧 Listen to C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen as he discusses reforms that would improve the U.S. #patent system and put us back on track as the most #innovative #economy in the world.
Click the link below to learn more ⬇️
In honor of #WomensHistoryMonth, we're recognizing some of the women whose #inventions have changed the world.
Today's spotlight: Stephanie Kwolek, a pioneering chemist who revolutionized materials science and saved lives through her #invention of Kevlar.
Learn more:
#DYK? Patents can cover different, but equally essential, parts of an #invention.
High-tech products like smartphones and medicines routinely combine numerous distinct and novel innovations, each of which requires its own patent.
Learn more:
c4ip.org/addressing-p...
📓 Seeking funding for #intellectualproperty related research?
We are offering grants of up to $25,000 for original, empirically grounded projects that can help inform #IP policy.
For more details and to apply:
Lowering the cost of #medication is a worthy goal. But undermining the patent system that drives #innovation in new treatments and products is not the right solution.
A strong, predictable #patent system is what makes both breakthrough drugs and lower-cost alternatives possible.
For more:
RSVP for this upcoming event!
On Thursday, March 5, the USPTO is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell's #telephone #patent and its momentous impact.
📍 Virtual or in person at the USPTO's headquarters (in Alexandria, VA)
⏰ 1:30 - 4 PM ET
For more details and to register:
"Indeed, regardless of how many #patents may cover the original product, #generics typically enter the market three to sixteen years after #FDA approval of the original -- well before the standard 20-year patent term of any of the applicable patents."
- C4IP Chief Operations Officer John Cabeca
For decades, court-made "exceptions" have distorted U.S. #patent law, blocking protection for critical #technologies.
#PERA resets the rules, removing these ad hoc exclusions while still barring patents on unmodified genes, natural phenomena, and abstract processes.
More info:
#ICYMI: We submitted a comment to the #USTR on the 2026 Special 301 Review.
Our submission highlights several trends that undermine #IP protection across multiple industries and recommends proportionate #Special301 designations for countries and jurisdictions where these concerns persist.
"Simply quantifying raw numbers of #patents and exclusivities is an imprecise way to measure the #intellectualproperty landscape of a drug product."
This finding from a #USPTO study contradicts claims that these companies unfairly "game" the patent system to prolong market exclusivity.
For more:
4 reasons why we support predictable and high-quality #intellectualproperty rights:
💉 #Patents save lives
📈 #IP-intensive industries foster economic growth
🗺️ Patent rights facilitate pioneering #discoveries
🎸 #Copyrights and #trademarks drive high-value creative industries
Learn more:
📱 Ever wonder why mobile phones made by different manufacturers can text back and forth?
That's thanks to standard-essential #patents, which protect #innovations incorporated into common, standardized #technologies like 5G and Wi-Fi.
Learn more:
Many individuals and creators whose likenesses are copied by #AI have no recourse, or their rights depend on a patchwork of uneven and often outdated state laws.
The #NOFAKESAct levels the playing field and ensures that creators have the legal tools needed to protect against #IP theft.
Read more:
#ICYMI: Check out our fact sheet, which compares the #PREVAILAct's proposed #PTAB framework to prior and current #USPTO approaches.
It explains how the bill would end the cycle of policy shifts between administrations.
Check out our new blog all about the #RESTORE Patent Rights Act 📜
The bill is a simple, targeted change that would strengthen #patent enforcement, cut down on drawn-out litigation, and give small #inventors a real chance to protect what they create.
For more info:
🔦 #DYK that the first electric flashlight was invented more than 125 years ago?
On January 10, 1899, David Misell received a #patent for the first electric flashlight. Today, the global market for flashlights is estimated at over $2 billion.
For more historic #inventions:
🏛️ A series of #SCOTUS decisions have created major uncertainty around U.S. #patent eligibility for cutting-edge #inventions, including diagnostic testing, software, and #AI.
#PERA would restore patent eligibility to these crucial categories of inventions.
Learn more:
