This Week in Washington IP: Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, Challenges with Carbon Removal and the USPTO Hosts the 2021 Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program

This week in Washington IP news, Congress is largely quiet except for a hearing of the House Artificial Intelligence Task Force regarding ethical frameworks for developing artificial intelligence (AI) applications in various industries. Elsewhere in D.C., the Center for Data Innovation explores data driven approaches in addressing e-commerce counterfeits, The Brookings Institution hosts a conversation with Susteon’s Shantanu Agarwal on the challenges of carbon removal tech, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office kicks off the 2021 Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program with multiple fireside chats and a panel on building networks and resources available to the community of Hispanic innovators.

Tuesday, October 12 

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Trademark Basics Boot Camp, Module 2: Registration Process Overview

At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

This workshop, the second in the USPTO’s eight-part Trademark Basics Boot Camp series, is designed to teach small business owners and entrepreneurs about different aspects of the trademark registration process. Topics covered in this workshop include trademark basics, application workflow, timeline overview and post-registration workflow overview.

Wednesday, October 13 

House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence 

Beyond I, Robot: Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, and the Digital Age

 At 12:00 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

Ethics in robotics and artificial intelligence systems draws much of its foundation from the three laws of robotics developed by famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, which are predicated on the idea that AI systems are always meant to serve humans and never to harm them. With the advent of many AI technologies now upon us, several organizations have been developing ethical frameworks for AI applications that rely upon constant evaluation by human decision-makers and great transparency about the underlying goals guiding the development of particular algorithms. The witness panel for this hearing will include Meredith Broussard, Associate Professor, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, New York University; Meg King, Director, Science and Technology Innovation Program, The Wilson Center; Miriam Vogel, President and CEO, EqualAI; Jeffrey Yong, Principal Advisor, Financial Stability Institute, Bank for International Settlements; and Aaron Cooper, Vice President for Global Policy, BSA – The Software Alliance.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

2021 Hispanic Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program

At 1:00 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

This event features various leaders from the Hispanic community in innovation and entrepreneurship and offers an overview of innovation resources that are available to the innovation community. This event will feature a pair of fireside chats featuring Alejandra Y. Castillo, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development; Nestor Ramirez, Technology Center Director, USPTO; Leandro Margulis, Inventor of Durable Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) Device; and Marivelisse Santiago-Cordero, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Commissioner for Patents, USPTO. This event will also feature a discussion about building networks and finding mentors with a panel including Jennifer Garcia, COO, Latin Business Action Network, Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative; Olga Carmargo, CEO and Founder, FARO Associates LLC and Board Chair, Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement; Susana G. Baumann, President and CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Latinas in Business Inc.; Tito Leal, CFO, Prosperity Lab; and moderated by Juan Valentin, Education Program Advisor, Office of Education, USPTO.

The Brookings Institution 

Carbon Removal Innovations and Their Challenges: A Conversation With Susteon President Shantanu Agarwal

At 2:00 PM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

Carbon removal technologies that can sequester airborne sources of carbon have the potential to play a critical role in mitigating climate change, but several promising carbon removal innovations remain stuck in basic research phases far from the commercialization pipeline. This event, part of The Brookings Institution’s Reimagining Modern-Day Markets and Regulations series, will feature a fireside chat with Shantanu Agarwal, Co-Founder and President of climate impact technology firm Susteon Inc. Moderating the discussion with Agarwal will be Sanjay Patnaik, Director, Center on Regulations and Markets, and the Bernard L. Schwartz Chair in Economic Policy Development, Fellow, Economic Studies.

Thursday, October 14

Center for Data Innovation

A Data-Driven Approach to Combatting Counterfeit Goods in E-Commerce

At 1:00 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.

E-commerce has proved to be a boon to counterfeiters looking to exploit popular brands and fool American consumers into purchasing knockoff goods. This event will explore a new report issued by the National Intellectual Property Rights Center discussing the marketplace response to best practices developed by public and private entities looking to stem the tide of counterfeits sold via online platforms. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Matthew C. Allen, Director, National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; Christa Brozowski, Senior Manager of Public Policy, Amazon; Sara Decker, Director of Federal Government Affairs, Walmart; Piotr Stryszowski, Senior Economist, OECD; and moderated by Daniel Castro, Director, Center for Data Innovation.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The Path to a Patent, Part II: Drafting Provisional Patent Applications

At 2:00 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.

This workshop, the second in the USPTO’s eight part Path to a Patent series, is designed to teach prospective patent applicants about the key differences between provisional and nonprovisional patent applications. Topics covered include filing requirements, fees and different ways to file a provisional patent application.

Hudson Institute 

Powering Innovation: Advanced Batteries and Critical Supply Chains

At 2:30 PM on Thursday, online video webinar.

Both the United States and China have been taking action on securing supply chains on certain products and components that are critical to national security, advanced batteries being one of the sectors identified by both nations as a supply chain priority. Advanced battery technologies have potential applications in electric vehicles, which many governments have been subsidizing to meet climate and emissions goals, as well as in national defense by enabling distributed operations in battlefield scenarios. The first panel for this event, discuss distributed operations and advanced batteries, will include Heather Penny, Senior Fellow, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies; LTG Eric Wesley (Ret.), Former Deputy Commanding General, Army Futures Command, and Director, Futures and Concepts Center; Bryan Clark, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology, Hudson Institute; and moderated by Nadia Schadlow, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute. The second panel, discussing the U.S. government’s role in promoting innovation, will include the Honorable Ellen Lord, Former Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment; the Honorable Kimberly Reed, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and CEO, U.S. Import-Export Bank; Mike Brown, Director, Defense Innovation Unit, U.S. Department of Defense; and moderated by Arthur Herman, Senior Fellow and Director, Quantum Alliance Initiative, Hudson Institute. The third panel, discussing China, supply chains and economic coercion, will include Anthony Vinci, Adjunct Senior Fellow, CNAS; Pavneet Singh, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; John Lee, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; and moderated by Nadia Schadlow, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute.

Friday, October 15 

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

Can GDPR’s ‘Automated Decision Opt-Out’ Be Improved Without Harming Users?

At 10:00 AM on Friday, online video webinar.

In the nearly two years that have elapsed since the UK government completed their Brexit tradition out of the European Union, the country has been charting its own course forward on legal matters and in recent weeks the UK government has been eyeing changes to Article 22 of the country’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Article 22 of the GDPR governs restrictions to automated processing of decisions for a data subject, and the UK government’s moves have opened a discussion on the feasibility of changing protections against automated decision-making processes. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Omar Tene, Former Vice President, International Association of Privacy Professionals; Isabelle de Pauw, Head of Data Rights, Domestic Data Protection and Data Rights Team, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; Chris Elwell-Sutton, Senior Privacy Counsel and Data Protection Officer, CIBC Capital Markets; Andrew Orlowski, Technology Commentator, Daily Telegraph; Kristian Stout, Director of Innovation Policy, International Center for Law & Economics; and moderated by Benjamin Mueller, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Data Innovation.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Attend the Trademark Public Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting

At 10:00 AM on Friday, online video webinar.

On Friday morning, the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC) of the USPTO will convene their quarterly meeting to discuss issues related to the agency’s trademark activities, including a review of policies, goals, budget, performance and user fees.

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Author: sborisov
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