Innovation requires IP. Without a strong patent system in place, innovation does not happen at scale. Virtually every invention of impact is patented, as exemplified by these historical examples from the month of October: 1950: On October 3, William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain received a patent for the first transistor, an essential electronic
As Halloween approaches, C4IP is recognizing some of the inventions that have changed the way we celebrate this spooky holiday! The numerous patents registered for Halloween novelties — such as jack-o’-lanterns and costumes — reveal that creativity and IP rights underlie this holiday’s most important traditions. Carving frightening faces into vegetables isn’t an American practice
Claim: In a letter published August 8, Public Citizen, along with several other advocacy organizations, claimed that reforming the PTAB would hamper innovation and disproportionately hurt small inventors. Correction: As C4IP recently addressed, the opposite is true — proposed reforms aim to address flaws in existing PTAB procedures to more appropriately balance equities between innovators and those who want to
This month, C4IP is recognizing Bill Bowerman, a collegiate track coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc., who revolutionized sport and style with his invention of the modern athletic shoe. William Jay “Bill” Bowerman Jr. was born in Portland, Oregon in 1911. He attended Medford High School and later the University of Oregon, where he excelled
Today, former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Howard Dean published an opinion piece in the Hartford Courant arguing that in order to maintain American leadership in innovation, the Biden administration must take a stand for IP rights by decisively rejecting the use of the Bayh-Dole Act’s “march-in” provision to control prices. Passed
September was a busy month for C4IP! Here’s a roundup of what our Coalition has accomplished over the past month. On October 3, C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen issued a statement in support of the recently-reintroduced Stopping Harmful Offers on Platforms by Screening Against Fakes in E-Commerce (SHOP SAFE) Act. “The legislation will take meaningful steps to
C4IP is recognizing patents, copyrights, and trademarks registered during the month of September for historic inventions that changed their industries and the way we live today. 1948: On September 7, Louis Parker received a patent for the television receiver, which allowed sound and picture to be coordinated and continues to be an integral part of all modern televisions. In 2021,
Former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins recently published an opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on how 11 years of ill-informed Supreme Court decisions have substantially weakened IP rights and set back American innovation — and how the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act would remedy this problem to revitalize numerous high-tech industries. Collins explains how rulings like
Walter Copan, Ph.D. — vice president for research and technology transfer at the Colorado School of Mines, senior advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and former director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — recently published an opinion piece in the Boulder Daily Camera explaining the importance of
Claim: During the NIH’s virtual workshop on July 31, Knowledge Ecology International’s (KEI) James Love claimed that the “reasonable pricing” provision required by the NIH in its Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs)…
C4IP is recognizing Clarence Birdseye — the “Father of Frozen Food” — whose invention of the quick-freezing method pioneered the modern frozen foods industry. Clarence Birdseye was born in 1886 in Brooklyn, New York. From an early age, Birdseye had a strong interest in the natural sciences; he studied biology for two years at Amherst College before leaving to
Today, former Texas Congressman Lamar Smith published an opinion piece in the Dallas Morning News on two bipartisan bills that could revitalize innovation and help entrepreneurs in the United States: the PREVAIL Act and the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act. The PREVAIL Act would reform the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), preventing Big Tech firms
