This Week in Washington IP: Overview of SBIR and STTR Programs, Securing American Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles, and AI Innovation’s Impact on Social Welfare

This week in Washington IP news, the House of Representatives will host committee meetings to consider the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration, as well as ways that Congress can encourage more domestic manufacturing of the next generation of electric vehicles. In the Senate, the Judiciary Committee discusses several judicial nominees by the Biden Administration, including a few that would serve in U.S. district courts important to IP law. Elsewhere, The Brookings Institute hosts a conversation with Columbia University Professor Joseph Stiglitz on the potential impacts of AI innovation on social welfare, while the Hudson Institute explores ways that Japan and the U.S. can further collaborate on our 5G mobile networking future.

Monday, March 7 

The Brookings Institute

AI, Innovation, and Welfare: A Conversation With Joseph E. Stiglitz

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

The onset of the artificial intelligence (AI) technological revolution holds the promise of incredible productivity gains in every industry sector, which could be a great boon to whichever nations are able to take the lead in developing and commercializing AI technologies. While such economic improvement undoubtedly also brings social improvement along with it, some pundits have raised issues over concerns that AI innovations could extract unnecessary rents from implementers and bring inequitable effects in how AI technologies are distributed. This event, part of Brookings’ Center on Regulation and Markets series, will feature a discussion on how technological innovation can best bring about improved social welfare between Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor, Columbia University; and Anton Korinek, David M. Rubenstein Fellow, Economic Studies, Center on Regulation and Markets.

Tuesday, March 8 

House Committee on Small Business

Overview of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs

At 10:00 AM on Tuesday in 2360 Rayburn House Office Building.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are currently authorized through September 30 of this year. These programs provide a pathway for grant funding from the federal government to be distributed by a competitive bidding process to American small businesses that need help to commercialize innovative products and services. This hearing will provide the perspective of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the agency coordinating both the SBIR and STTR programs, on important considerations as Congress decides whether to reauthorize those programs. The sole witness for this hearing will be John Williams, Director of Innovation and Technology, Office of Investment and Innovation, SBA.

House Subcommittee on Energy

Charging Forward: Securing American Manufacturing and Our EV Future

At 10:15 AM on Tuesday in 2123 Rayburn.

The recent major infrastructure bill passed by Congress included $7.5 billion of federal funding earmarked to create a national network of 500,000 charging stations for electric vehicles (EV). Lawmakers in D.C. have been laying the legal groundwork for encouraging the domestic manufacture of EVs and remarks delivered by President Joe Biden last Friday indicated that the White House’s Made in America program was increasing the standard on how much of a product must be manufactured domestically such that “substantially all” of the production happens in the United States. This is expected to create even more U.S. manufacturing in EVs and other sectors critical to our economy. The witness panel for this hearing has yet to be released.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

USPTO Resources for Inventors, Innovators, and Entrepreneurs

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

This free informational session offered by the USPTO will provide those with little understanding about patents and trademarks information on agency resources they can use to protect their innovations. A Spanish language version of this informational webinar will also be provided at noon on Tuesday.

Wednesday, March 9

Hudson Institute 

US-Japan Cooperation on Next Generation Telecom

At 8:00 AM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

The mobile networking R&D sectors in both the United States and Japan are expected to be major players in the rollout of 5G mobile networks, which will increase data speeds and expand device connectivity both by an order of magnitude over current 4G networks. Last April, the U.S. and Japanese governments announced that they would collaborate on expanding development in 5G and 6G, and advancing secure networks like Open Radio Access Network (RAN), agreeing to devote a total of $4.5 billion on those efforts. This event will feature a discussion on Open RAN efforts with a panel including Yutaka Kitagami, Deputy Director-General for International Economic Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; Melissa Griffith, Senior Program Associate, Wilson Center; Thomas Duesterberg, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; Hiroyuki Suzuki, Chief Representative, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Washington Office; and moderated by Riley Waters, Japan Chair Deputy Director, Hudson Institute.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

National Medal of Technology and Innovation Webinar 2022

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

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI) is the United States federal government’s top award honoring those who have contributed technological innovations that have or are expected to greatly improve the lives of Americans and others living across the globe. This informational webinar describes the guidelines and procedures the USPTO implements during the NMTI nomination process.

Thursday, March 10 

Senate Committee on the Judiciary 

Executive Business Meeting

At 9:00 AM on Thursday in 325 Russell Senate Office Building.

On Thursday morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene an executive business meeting to discuss the confirmation prospects of several President Biden nominees to serve on the federal judiciary. Some of these nominees, if confirmed, would sit on the benches of U.S. district courts that are very important to the world of U.S. intellectual property law. These nominees include Kenly Kiya Kato and Sunshine Suzanna Sykes, both nominated to the Central District of California, and Jennifer Louise Rochon, nominated to the Southern District of New York.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Patent Public Advisory Committee Public Meeting

At 11:00 AM on Thursday, online video webinar.

This Thursday morning, the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) will convene a regularly scheduled public hearing to discuss various goals, policies, budgets and performance of the patent side of the USPTO’s operations. Topics covered during this meeting will include patent pendency and quality, innovation expansion and outreach programs, as well as U.S. legislative and international policy on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

The Path to a Patent, Part VII: How to File a Patent Application Using Patent Center

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

This workshop, the seventh part in the USPTO’s eight-part Path to a Patent series, will provide virtual attendees with an overview of the agency’s Patent Center interface. Topics covered during this workshop include proper formatting for electronic filing of patent applications, and other resources for managing electronic filings available through the Inventors Assistance Center and the Patent Electronics Business Center.

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