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In recent months, federal policymakers have renewed calls for “Most-Favored-Nation” (MFN) drug pricing, which would tie the price of medicines in the United States to the lowest prices paid in similarly wealthy foreign countries. The policy is well-meaning and directed at a real problem: foreign countries free-ride off of American-supported innovation by implementing policies that

C4IP is honoring Charles W. Hull (born 1939), who has transformed manufacturing, medicine, and design through his invention of stereolithography — better known as 3D printing. Hull was born in Clifton, Colorado, and studied engineering physics at the University of Colorado before joining Ultraviolet Products, a company that used UV light to solidify liquid plastic

July Highlights: Congress Rejects Big Tech’s Push to Block AI Rules During last month’s deliberations on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Big Tech lobbyists pushed to include an “AI moratorium” provision that would have imposed a 10-year ban on state-level regulation of artificial intelligence. While the proposal was framed as a well-intentioned effort

Strong, consistent IP protections throughout U.S. history enabled the creation of innovative and useful technologies that we use regularly today. From car safety to clean energy, every aspect of our lives has benefited greatly from IP, as shown by these historical examples from the month of July: 1962: On July 10, Nils Bohlen received a

Earlier this year, a coalition of technology industry lobbyists sent a letter to President Trump urging his administration to weaken protections for standard-essential patents (SEPs) — patents that protect innovations incorporated into common, standardized technologies like 5G and Wi-Fi. Their letter reflected longstanding false narratives about SEPs and claimed that weakening SEP rights would benefit

Congress is currently considering several ill-conceived bills that purport to address abuses in the patent system, but would, in reality, weaken core intellectual property protections. Among them are the Drug Competition Enhancement Act (S. 1040) and the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act (S. 1041). By attempting to devalue the United States’ robust intellectual property system,

A newly-released policy brief from the IP Policy Institute at the University of Akron School of Law reaffirms the finding from a 2024 Sunwater Institute report that overall patent quality in the United States is high. The Sunwater Institute study found that the USPTO grants invalid patents only 7% of the time — an impressively

C4IP is honoring Lonnie Johnson (born 1949), a prolific inventor whose work spans energy systems, aerospace engineering, and one of the most successful toys of all time. A nuclear engineer and former member of the Air Force, Johnson has conducted research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

Strong, consistent IP protections throughout U.S. history enabled the creation of innovative and useful technologies that we use regularly today. From cuisine to chores, every aspect of our lives has benefited greatly from IP, as shown by these historical examples from the month of June: 1953: On June 9, John H. Kraft received a patent

June Highlights: Members of Congress Respond to C4IP’s Innovation Scorecard C4IP recently released its 2025 Congressional Innovation Scorecard, an annual report grading members of Congress’s performance on innovation and intellectual property issues. The Scorecard found that overall, Congress’s attentiveness to IP has increased, with a notable uptick in IP-related bills and resolutions being introduced in

Activist groups routinely accuse companies of using various tactics to “abuse” the patent system to stifle competition. By debunking these myths, the Council for Innovation Promotion hopes to foster a more honest public policy debate. For an overview of the information below, check out our patent myth video series, which provides brief and accessible explanations

A bipartisan group of legislators led by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) recently reintroduced two critical bills to Congress: the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) and the PREVAIL Act. Both bills would shore up the legal foundation for American innovation — PERA by restoring clarity around what types of inventions are eligible