As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s important to recognize the vital role women have played in shaping innovation — like Mary Anderson, who patented the windshield wiper in 1903, or Jennifer Doudna, inventor of the CRISPR gene-editing tool. Historically, strong intellectual property protections have empowered women to turn their groundbreaking ideas into transformative inventions. Unfortunately, small inventors today face growing challenges in protecting their IP from large, well-resourced corporations.
In her recent essay, C4IP Chief Policy Officer Jamie Simpson outlines how large companies often appropriate smaller companies’ patented technologies rather than negotiating fair licenses. Then, when challenged, they use their resources to overwhelm smaller inventors through legal and financial pressure. This system is especially harmful to women and minority founders, who already face significant funding and opportunity barriers.
Simpson highlights three bills in Congress — the PREVAIL Act, the RESTORE Act, and the IDEA Act — that would protect the rights of small inventors and those from historically underrepresented backgrounds to help build a thriving innovation ecosystem that works for everyone.
“[The current] system doesn’t just harm current inventors, but creates powerful disincentives for future innovation. When would-be founders observe that their work can be stolen with little consequence, they may choose not to pursue their ideas at all,” said Simpson.
Read the full essay here:
https://www.engagewomen.org/protecting-innovation-starts-with-protecting-small-inventors/