C4IP Coalition Updates: May 2026

May Highlights: Strengthening Global IP Protection Through the Special 301 Report

In late April, the Office of the United States Trade Representative released its 2026 Special 301 Report, the annual review of the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property protections and enforcement among U.S. trading partners. By highlighting abuses and violations of IP protections by foreign countries, this report plays an essential role in upholding strong standards of IP protection around the world and ensuring that American inventions, brands, and creative works can compete fairly in foreign markets.

The 2026 report highlights persistent challenges to protection of American IP abroad, noting widespread violations in China and India. Notably, the European Union was added to the report’s Watch List for the first time in almost two decades. For the first time, the report also raised concern about the global landscape for the enforcement of standard-essential patents, highlighting practices, such as broad anti-suit injunctions, that hurt American innovators and impinge on U.S. national sovereignty. Conversely, the report also identified progress in certain regions, such as strengthened IP protections in Argentina, leading to its removal from the Priority Watch List.

These findings offer critical clarity for American innovators regarding the security of their global IP rights. Furthermore, for policymakers, the report identifies where U.S. trade intervention and negotiation are most needed to secure fairer trade relations. Throughout May, C4IP leveraged these insights to advocate for stronger global IP rights:

• C4IP issued a statement applauding the strong stance of the 2026 Special 301 Report and emphasizing the importance of firm international IP enforcement to sustaining American innovation leadership.
• C4IP published a blog post explaining the key takeaways and changes in the 2026 Special 301 Report, including both signs of progress and persistent global threats to American innovators’ intellectual property rights.
• C4IP Co-Chairs Andrei Iancu and David Kappos published an opinion essay in The Hill explaining how the federal government should work to solve the various IP violations laid out in the Special 301 Report, including by calling out the harmful practices of allies like the European Union, Canada, and Mexico.

“[I]t is time to call out the increasingly blatant efforts to undermine intellectual property by our allies — not just our adversaries — and urgently work with these trading partners to reform their ways.”

• C4IP and the Alliance of U.S. Startups & Inventors for Jobs hosted a panel discussion analyzing how U.S. innovation and trade policy can promote strong IP rights, which featured C4IP Co-Chair David Kappos alongside former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jeffrey Gerrish.

Additional Coalition Updates

• On June 2, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen released a statement applauding the nomination of Peter-Anthony Pappas to the United States International Trade Commission.
• On May 26, C4IP issued a statement applauding the bipartisan reintroduction of a revised version of the NO FAKES Act in the House and Senate, which would establish federal IP protections against unauthorized AI-generated imitations of individuals’ voices, images, and likenesses.
  • C4IP’s statement was quoted in an article on the dangers of AI deepfakes published by News 6 Orlando.
• On May 21, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen submitted a comment letter to the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission urging policymakers to preserve the government’s existing framework for patent pools, refrain from issuing guidance on licensing negotiation groups to avoid inadvertently undermining patent holders, and to investigate the antitrust risks posed by standards development organizations that lack FRAND commitments.
• On May 20, former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish, former Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, and C4IP Co-Chairs and former USPTO Directors Andrei Iancu and David Kappos sent a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) and Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) expressing their support for the USTRx Act.
  • • In the letter, the former U.S. government officials applaud the bill and its establishment of a Chief Pharmaceutical Trade Negotiator within the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
  • On May 20, C4IP published a blog post explaining in detail why inventors, innovators, and IP experts across America endorse meaningful reforms to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, including the USPTO’s recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking aimed at curbing abuse in the PTAB’s inter partes review proceedings as well as legislative solutions like the PREVAIL Act.
    • Drawing from the USPTO’s recent listening sessions on PTAB reform as well as past comments from entrepreneurs, advocacy groups, and lawmakers, the post underscored the broad consensus around the urgent need for PTAB reform. It also explained why policymakers would be unwise to judge stakeholder views simply by counting the number of public comments submitted for and against the proposed rules.

  Read It Now: “The Case for Change: Why a Broad, Bipartisan Coalition Is Pushing for PTAB Reform“

  • On May 18, C4IP Board Member Judge Paul Michel and C4IP Chief Policy Officer and Counsel Jamie Simpson featured on the USPTO’s expert panel during its listening session on PTAB Administration and Reform, where they argued in favor of reforms that limit abusive, serial petitions and restore balance for small innovators.
    • Michel’s and Simpson’s testimonies highlighting the lack of clarity on PTAB rules and high prevalence of repeat PTAB challenges were cited in an IPWatchdog article summarizing the listening session series.
    • Simpson was also quoted in a Law360 article speaking in favor of raising the PTAB’s standard of evidence to match that used by district courts.
  • On May 5, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen sent a letter to the Department of Justice, Department of Commerce, and USPTO applauding their statement of interest in Collision Communications v. Samsung and urging administration support for the RESTORE Patent Rights Act to protect inventors’ access to injunctive relief.
  • ICYMI: C4IP published three new materials related to the ETHIC Act and terminal disclaimers.
    • You can read C4IP’s blog on why it opposes the ETHIC Act here.
    • You can read C4IP’s myths vs. facts sheet on the ETHIC Act here.

  You can read C4IP’s myths vs. facts sheet on terminal disclaimers here