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Claim: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published a statement announcing that it would oppose the recently reintroduced Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) on the grounds that “If passed, the Act would allow corporations and other entities to patent laws of nature and products of nature, including naturally-occurring genes.” Correction: The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act explicitly does not allow

C4IP is recognizing Ralph Baer, who transformed the entertainment industry and is known as “The Father of Video Games.” Ralph Baer was born in 1922 to a Jewish family living in southwest Germany. In 1938, his family immigrated to the United States, where Baer developed a love for electronics and trained to become a radio service technician at

Last week, C4IP’s Board of Directors published an opinion piece in the Brussels Morning News on new regulations proposed by the European Commission, which would establish a “Competency Centre” at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to govern the standard-essential patents (SEPs) that cover shared tech industry practices. In the piece, C4IP’s board argues

The month of July was a busy one for C4IP! Here’s a roundup of what our Coalition has been up to over the past month. On July 26, C4IP submitted comments to the NIH regarding the agency’s upcoming workshop, “Transforming Discoveries into Products: Maximizing NIH’s Levers to Catalyze Technology Transfer.” On July 26, C4IP Chief Policy Officer and Counsel

C4IP is recognizing patents, copyrights, and trademarks registered during the month of July for historic inventions that changed their industries and the way we live today. 1952: On July 1, the trademark for “Silly Putty” was registered. Silly Putty emerged as one of the most beloved toys of the 20th century. As its popularity soared, individuals began discovering more practical

On Monday, July 24, the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) and the University of Maryland (UMD) hosted Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-MD), along with local entrepreneurs, engineers, venture capitalists, and intellectual property experts, for a roundtable discussion on ways Prince George’s County can further develop as an innovation hub and how Congress can support American entrepreneurship

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) has reintroduced the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act to Congress alongside co-sponsor Chris Coons (D-DE), receiving praise from C4IP’s board. In January, C4IP interviewed Sen. Tillis as part of a Q&A series. Here’s an excerpt of what he had to say at that time about how strong IP rights foster innovation and

C4IP is recognizing Josephine Cochrane (1839-1913), an inspiring female inventor who created and patented an appliance that altered home-life forever: the dishwasher. Josephine Cochrane was an American inventor and founder of the Crescent Washing Machine Company. The daughter of a civil engineer, and a socialite who often hosted guests at her home in Illinois, Cochrane understood the laborious task of

In recent years, the intersection between intellectual property and emerging technologies — specifically artificial intelligence — has become a subject of significant discussion. And for good reason. Between 2002 and 2020, annual AI patent applications increased from 30,000 to nearly 80,000 according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Much of the recent debate, however, has centered on whether an

Claim: Representatives David Schweikert (AZ-01) and Don Beyer (VA-08) introduced the “Advancing America’s Interests Act,” which claims that the International Trade Commission’s (ITC) import process and bans are “unfair” and do not prioritize the public interest. Correction: Supporters of the Advancing America’s Interests Act claim the bill will benefit Americans, but a closer examination reveals the opposite. It

The PREVAIL Act provides a comprehensive set of reforms that — after a decade’s worth of experience with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board — would ensure that the PTAB meets the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act’s original goals of providing more efficiency in the patent system, while also being fair to patent owners and petitioners

C4IP is recognizing American businessman and inventor Henry Ford (1863-1947), who modernized the manufacturing and automobile industries. Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863. Growing up the eldest of six children, Ford showed an interest in innovation early on, developing his first steam engine at 15. His love for machines grew exponentially, inspiring him to look for work in