WASHINGTON (September 13, 2024) — The Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) celebrates the introduction of the Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement (IDEA) Act in both the Senate (S. 4713) and House (H.R. 9455), led by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), as well as Representatives Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Young Kim (R-CA).
Frank Cullen, executive director of C4IP, issued the following statement in support of the bills:
“Our innovation ecosystem is strongest when all Americans, regardless of their background, can earn patent rights for their inventions. Yet data shows that historically underrepresented groups lack access to our patent system. According to some estimates, just 13% of patents go to women, and Black Americans are around three times less likely than White Americans to be listed as an inventor on a patent or patent application.
“By directing the United States Patent and Trademark Office to collect data on the demographic gaps that currently exist in the patent system, the IDEA Act can help address long-standing disparities and make access to patents a reality.
“Making our patent system more accessible to all is not just an issue of fundamental fairness. To maximize America’s economic competitiveness and maintain U.S. technological leadership in critical fields, we must ensure that all inventors — including those from underrepresented communities — can protect their intellectual property.
“C4IP applauds Senators Hirono and Tillis as well as Representatives Velázquez and Kim for advancing these bipartisan pieces of legislation, and we urge Congress to enact them without delay.”
Andrei Iancu, former undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (2018-2021), and current board co-chair of C4IP, issued the following statement:
“If we want America to lead the world in the development of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, life-saving medicines and quantum computing, we need to expand American innovation geographically, demographically and economically across all American communities. The IDEA Act will help us gather the data needed to increase access to the intellectual property system so that the United States maximizes its innovation potential.”
David Kappos, former undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (2009-2013), and current board co-chair of C4IP, issued the following statement:
“Every American, no matter their background, has a right to protect their intellectual property. The IDEA Act is a much-needed reform that will help policymakers identify and address harmful disparities in the patent system. These disparities deprive inventors of beneficial economic opportunities and prevent groundbreaking products from reaching consumers. The Council for Innovation Promotion thanks Sen. Hirono and her colleagues for their work on this legislation, and we urge Congress to enact it without delay.”
About Council for Innovation Promotion: The Council for Innovation Promotion is a bipartisan coalition dedicated to promoting strong and effective intellectual property rights that drive innovation, boost economic competitiveness, and improve lives everywhere.