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This month, C4IP is recognizing Les Paul, whose invention of the solid-body electric guitar revolutionized the sound of popular music. Paul was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1915, and established himself as a successful jazz and country musician before applying that experience to develop the invention for which he is best known: the solid-body electric

Former U.S. Ambassador to China, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and Governor of Washington Gary Locke just published a new opinion piece in the Financial Times explaining how modernizing the patent system is essential for maintaining global competitiveness and advancing society at large in the United States. Many multi-billion dollar industries exist today because of solid

C4IP was busy during the month of July! Here’s a roundup of all that we accomplished over the past month. July Highlights: Promoting Thoughtful AI Policy Artificial intelligence technology continues to make headlines – often heralded as one of the most transformative innovations of our time. However, care must be taken with our intellectual property

Strong, consistent IP protections throughout U.S. history enabled the creation of innovative and useful technologies that we use regularly today. From home furnishing to the culinary arts, every aspect of our lives has benefited greatly from IP, as shown by these historical examples from the month of July: 1885: On July 14, Sarah Goode became

The SHOP SAFE Act, which was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Ben Cline (R-VA), and Hank Johnson (D-GA) on June 11, is an important bill that would help protect consumers and businesses from harmful counterfeit products by making e-commerce platforms responsible for vetting products’ legitimacy. Despite

C4IP Co-Chairs and former USPTO Directors Andrei Iancu and David Kappos just published a new opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal exploring how the ambiguity of the USPTO’s recent guidance on patenting AI-assisted inventions could inadvertently discourage inventors from making use of artificial intelligence tools. They highlight numerous ambiguities in the guidance — including

C4IP is celebrating Jaap Haartsen, whose invention of Bluetooth wireless technology has helped integrate electronic devices seamlessly into our daily lives. Haartsen was born in 1963 in The Hague, Netherlands and began his career at Siemens and Phillips before earning his Ph.D. from Delft University and moving to Swedish company Ericsson. His first breakthrough in

June was a productive month for C4IP! Here’s a roundup of what our Coalition accomplished over the past month. June Highlights: Combating Counterfeit Products Online Weakened IP rights not only put innovators and businesses at risk, they also have dangerous consequences for consumers. This is evidenced by the spread of counterfeit products, which infringe established

Strong, consistent IP protections throughout U.S. history enabled the creation of innovative and useful technologies that we use regularly today. From office work to agriculture, every aspect of our lives has benefited greatly from IP, as shown by these historical examples from the month of June: 1974: On June 25, Jack Kilby received a patent

Like inventors in every sector, drug developers rely on strong patent protections to create new and innovative medicines. However, because of the prices of many drugs, activists frequently blame patents and accuse companies of abusing the patent system with tactics such as “product hopping,” “evergreening,” and “patent thicketing.” This troubling trend continued during the Senate

Karen Kerrigan, the president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, just published an opinion piece in the Buffalo News explaining how the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act and PREVAIL Act would help startups gain venture funding and bring their groundbreaking inventions to market. She illustrates the importance of patents to startup success, with