Passing the Bipartisan Innovation Act, Addressing Competition Issues with Big Tech, and International Considerations for a Digital Dollar
This week in Washington IP news, both houses of Congress remain quiet during regularly scheduled work periods. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation gets the week started with an event exploring prospects for Congressional passage of the Bipartisan Innovation Act. The Center for Strategic & International Studies will host events discussing arguments for and against the United States’ adoption of a centralized digital currency, as well as efforts between the United States and South Korea to collaborate on critical areas of technology. Over at the Bipartisan Policy Center, competition and antitrust experts will also debate the effectiveness of current legislative proposals to rein in the market power of Big Tech.
Tuesday, May 31
Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
Why the Bipartisan Innovation Act is Crucial for U.S. National Security
At 10:30 AM on Tuesday, online video webinar.
The Bipartisan Innovation Act is currently being developed in conference with members from both houses of Congress to reconcile differences between the Senate’s U.S. Innovation and Competition Act and the House of Representatives’ America COMPETES Act. In early May, President Biden issued a fact sheet urging for passage of the Bipartisan Innovation Act, which would support basic research into emerging tech areas like additive manufacturing and secure more resilient supply chains for semiconductors and other tech components critical to the U.S. economy. This event will feature a discussion on the national security implications of the Bipartisan Innovation Act with a panel including Michael Brown, Director, Defense Innovation Unit, U.S. Department of Defense; Arthur Herman, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; John (Jack) N.T. Shanahan, Lieutenant General (Ret.), U.S. Air Force; and moderated by Stephen Ezell, Vice President, Global Innovation Policy, ITIF.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.
This USPTO workshop is designed to teach those without any knowledge of intellectual property basic concepts in IP rights and protection that are important for business owners and entrepreneurs to understand in order to effectively transition from idea to marketable product. Topics covered will include types of intellectual property, reasons why IP should be protected and mechanisms for enforcing IP.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Intellectual Property Webinar for K-12 Educators
At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.
On Tuesday evening, the USPTO will host a workshop for K-12 educators who want to introduce intellectual property and innovation subjects into their classroom curriculum. Educators will learn about forms of IP including patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets, as well as classroom activities for a STEM/STEAM curriculum.
Wednesday, June 1
Center for Strategic & International Studies
A Digital Dollar? International Considerations
At 9:00 AM on Wednesday at CSIS Headquarters, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.
The growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies as a digital form of payment has led financial policymakers in the United States and other countries to consider the potential adoption of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). However, in late May, the American Banking Association submitted testimony to Congress arguing that there is no current need to adopt a CBDC into the U.S. financial system as there is no specific financial problem or pressing need addressed by such digital currencies. This event will feature discussion on a recent white paper published by CSIS on options currently available for CBDCs and stablecoins with a panel including Gerard DiPippo, Senior Fellow, Economics Program, CSIS; Fariborz Ghadar, Distinguished Scholar and Senior Advisor, CSIS; Matthew P. Goodman, Senior Vice President for Economics, CSIS; Steven B. Kamin, Senior Associate (Non-Resident), Economics Program, CSIS; and Miguel Díaz, Head of Toronto Centre, BIS and Former General Director of Payment Systems and Market Infrastructures, Bank of Mexico.
Bipartisan Policy Center
Big Tech Is Not Going Away: Next Steps in Competition Policy
At 11:00 AM on June 1, online video webinar.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been trying to target the outsized market power of Big Tech companies by drafting legislation amending current law, especially U.S. antitrust law, to address competition issues in the technology industry. However, as this first event in the Bipartisan Policy Center’s new program focused on tech competition underscores, the market conditions leading to the dominance of Big Tech firms are likely to reemerge even if Congress acts on any bills to limit the power of Big Tech. This event will feature a discussion on the effectiveness of data interoperability and portability as a means to promote competition in the tech industry with a panel including Dr. Diana L. Moss, President, American Antitrust Institute; Dr. Mark Jamison, Director and Gunther Professor, Public Utility Research Center, University of Florida; Herbert Hovenkamp, James G. Dinan University Professor, The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School; Sumit Sharma, Senior Researcher, Technology Competition, Consumer Reports; and moderated by John Soroushian, Associate Director, BPC.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Intellectual Property Basics and Helpful Resources
At 12:00 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.
This USPTO workshop is designed to teach business owners and entrepreneurs the basics of intellectual property protection, and to inform them about resources available at the USPTO for obtaining IP rights. Topics covered during this workshop include an overview of forms of IP, reasons why entrepreneurs should protect their IP and resources available at the USPTO and other federal agencies.
Thursday, June 2
Center for Strategic & International Studies
The Capital Cable #49: U.S.-Korea Technological Cooperation
At 9:30 AM on Thursday, online video webinar.
At the end of May, President Biden visited the country of South Korea where he and Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol both committed to deepening the relationship between those two countries, especially where it comes to collaborating on emerging technologies and cybersecurity. The leaders of both countries expect that stronger collaboration will yield benefits in several areas of innovation including quantum technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, electric vehicle batteries and more. This event, part of CSIS’ The Capital Cable series, will feature a discussion with a panel including Andrew Grotto, William J. Perry International Security Fellow, Cyber Policy Center, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and Former Senior Director for Cybersecurity Policy, White House; Sue Mi Terry, Director of the Asia Program and the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Wilson Center; Mark Lippert, Senior Advisor (Non-Resident), Korea Chair, CSIS; and moderated by Victor Cha, Senior Vice President and Korea Chair, CSIS.
Hudson Institute
Framing Next Generation Air Dominance Around Software for Operational Advantage
At 12:00 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.
In recent years, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy have collaborated on the development of next generation air dominance (NGAD) combat planes to replace the current lineup of air fighters like the F-22, which was introduced almost 20 years ago. In recent weeks, NGAD program supervisors have reported successes in developing an F/A-XX fighter that will serve a critical role in NGAD, but software systems and other innovative aspects of these manned and unmanned fighters are expected to drive costs up to hundreds of millions of dollars per plane. This event will feature a discussion on tech acquisitions for military weapons systems with a panel including General Mike Holmes, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) Senior Advisor, the Roosevelt Group, and Former Commander, U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command; Dr. Tim Grayson, Special Assistant to the Air Force, and Former Director, DARPA Strategic Technology Office; Dr. Dan Platt, Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson Institute; and moderated by Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson Institute.
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