June Highlights: Celebrating 250 Years of American Innovation
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this month, it is worth remembering that America’s rise to become the world’s preeminent innovation economy was built on the foundation of strong intellectual property rights laid at our country’s inception. When our nation’s Founders drafted the Constitution, they explicitly empowered Congress to “secur[e] for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” Just a few years later, in 1790, George Washington signed the first U.S. patent law, firmly establishing America’s commitment to protecting intellectual property and promoting invention and enterprise.
Two and a half centuries later, America’s world-leading intellectual property system continues to power our national prosperity. From the telegraph and the telephone to lifesaving medicines, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, virtually every transformative technology of the modern era traces back to inventors and creators who were able to take risks because of the security afforded by strong IP rights. Today, IP-intensive industries account for over 40% of U.S. economic output and support more than 62 million jobs, anchoring America’s technological and scientific leadership.
As policymakers and the public reflect on America’s history this summer, it is an ideal moment to recognize how strong, predictable IP rights have made our country’s historic successes possible. That’s why, throughout June, C4IP worked to commemorate America’s innovative legacy and underscore how the U.S. IP system serves as an engine of American discovery, competition, and economic growth:
- On June 8, C4IP released a report, independently authored by University of Southern California law professor Jonathan Barnett, titled Idea Factories: How Intellectual Property Sustains and Cultivates Technology Ecosystems, which uses examples from audio and video technology to quantum computing to demonstrate how IP rights enable innovators to commercialize breakthroughs and collaborate across the economy.
- The report was mentioned in IPWatchdog’s weekly news roundup.
Read It Now: “Idea Factories: How Intellectual Property Sustains and Cultivates Technology Ecosystems“
- On June 10, C4IP hosted a webinar with the IP Policy Institute (IPPI) entitled “IP at America’s 250th,” at which IP experts, including C4IP Co-Chair and former USPTO Director Andrei Iancu, discussed how intellectual property protections have evolved and helped America’s economy grow throughout its history.
Additional Coalition Updates
- On July 2, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer supporting the Section 301 investigation into Vietnam’s IP practices and urging USTR to press for stronger enforcement against counterfeiting and online piracy, while continuing to monitor gaps in Vietnam’s biopharmaceutical IP framework.
- On July 1, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer supporting the Section 301 investigation into Brazil’s IP practices and calling for targeted reforms to strengthen patent protections, reduce examination delays, and improve enforcement.
- On July 1, C4IP published a fact sheet urging Congress to pass PERA to restore clarity to Section 101 after Supreme Court decisions created uncertainty around patent eligibility, weakening incentives for innovation, investment, and U.S. competitiveness.
- On June 29, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen sent a letter to the House IP Subcommittee ahead of its June 30 hearing on internet-based IP violations, urging lawmakers to consider pro-IP reforms such as the NO FAKES Act and SHOP SAFE Act to strengthen IP protections in the digital age.
- On June 26, C4IP Board Member and former House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith published an opinion essay in the Washington Examiner arguing that federal leaders should pursue targeted, bipartisan patent reforms to address Americans’ economic anxieties.
“[I]f the president is looking for ways to strengthen job prospects, bring down prices, and put America’s economy on a surer footing, addressing some of the most serious problems in our patent system is a good place to start.”
- On June 25, C4IP joined the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) for the VIP and Media Showcase Launch of the National STEM Festival on the National Mall, engaging with student awardees as Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Jake Easter delivered keynote remarks.
- During the June 27 public Build Day, COSI featured C4IP materials among its education partner resources.
- On June 25, C4IP Co-Chair Andrei Iancu was a featured panelist at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s International Convention, where he discussed how coordinated anti-innovation efforts seek to erode the IP rights that underpin life sciences innovation.
- On June 24, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen submitted a letter to the Senate Finance Committee urging the prompt confirmation of Peter-Anthony Pappas to the U.S. International Trade Commission and highlighting his rare combination of patent expertise and public service.
- C4IP’s letter was quoted in an IPWatchdog article on the Finance Committee’s hearing to consider Pappas’ nomination.
- On June 18, C4IP Co-Chair David Kappos and former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish published an op-ed in the Washington Post underscoring the need for stronger international IP enforcement in light of the recent publication of the 2026 Special 301 Report.
“This year’s report is an essential reminder to Democrats and Republicans alike: Securing Americans’ IP rights abroad is a necessary step to ensuring a strong economy at home.”
- On June 18, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen issued a statement applauding the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to advance the bipartisan NO FAKES Act, which would create federal safeguards against the unauthorized use of AI-generated replicas of individuals’ voices, images, and likenesses.
- On June 15, C4IP co-hosted an innovation roundtable with We Work For Health and Life Sciences Pennsylvania at Rockland Immunochemicals in Pennsylvania, bringing together Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and local life sciences leaders to discuss how strong intellectual property protections support medical innovation, advanced manufacturing, and patient access.
- On June 15, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen sent a letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee explaining why the proposed Medication Affordability and Patent Integrity Act would not advance generic and biosimilar drug access, but would undermine the efficacy of the patent system and jeopardize U.S. competitiveness.
- On June 10, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen issued a statement urging Congress to reconsider the Prohibiting Adversarial Patents Act, warning that denying U.S. patent rights to designated foreign entities could invite retaliation against American innovators abroad, conflict with U.S. treaty obligations, and erode the principle that patents are secure property rights.
- C4IP’s statement was quoted in an IPWatchdog article on the introduction of the bill.
- On June 4, C4IP Chief Policy Officer and Counsel Jamie Simpson testified at a House IP Subcommittee hearing on how intellectual property and strong patent rights enable life science innovation.
- On June 3, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen sent a letter to the House IP Subcommittee ahead of its hearing on medicines and IP, emphasizing that strong patent rights are essential to sustaining investment in the research-intensive life sciences sector and cautioning against proposals that would weaken patent enforcement.
- On June 2, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen issued a statement applauding President Trump’s nomination of former USPTO patent examiner Peter-Anthony Pappas to the U.S. International Trade Commission and noting Pappas’ longstanding dedication to protecting IP.
- C4IP’s support was mentioned in an IPWatchdog article reporting on Pappas’ nomination.
- On June 1, Delaware business leaders Joshua Berkow, Alan Silverstein, Michael Quaranta, Ayanna Khan-Flowers, and Yvonne Deadwyler published an op-ed in the Delaware Business Times encouraging more lawmakers to follow Sen. Chris Coons’ (D-DE) lead in advocating for strong IP rights.