This Week in Washington IP: Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains, Promoting Investments into Climate Innovations, and Establishing the Next Generation Telecommunications Council

This week in Washington IP news, in the Senate, the Commerce Committee will hold an executive session to debate the Next Generation Telecommunications Act and a hearing focused on actions Congress can take to secure critical supply chains in semiconductors. The Senate Environment Committee will also host a hearing to explore how investments in climate innovations can help to promote American energy security. Elsewhere, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation looks at criticisms of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) increased antitrust regulatory authority, while the Center for Strategic & International Studies discusses the prospects of enhanced U.S.-Japan cooperation in key areas of emerging technology.

Monday, March 21

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation 

Dynamic Antitrust Discussion Series: “The FTC Rulemaking Agenda – Dwindled Innovation Through Regulation?”

At 5:00 PM on Monday, online video webinar.

Soon after the confirmation of Lina Khan to serve as the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), that agency approved changes to its rulemaking procedures governing the agency’s ability to enforce against business practices that the FTC finds to be anticompetitive. Critics of the FTC’s recent moves on antitrust regulation point out that Neo-Brandeisian philosophies spurring much of the recent wave of enforcement actions overly target large companies without a proper understanding of innovative and pro-competitive impacts of certain structures that can only be implemented by larger firms. This event, hosted by ITIF’s Schumpeter Project on Competition Policy, will feature a discussion with a panel including D. Bruce Hoffman, Partner, Cleary Gottleib; Timothy J. Muris, Professor of Law, George Mason University Foundation; Maureen K. Ohlhausen, Partner, Baker Botts; and moderated by Aurelien Portuese, Director, Antitrust and Innovation Policy, ITIF.

Tuesday, March 22 

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

Executive Session

At 10:00 AM on Tuesday in 253 Russell Senate Office Building.

On Tuesday morning, the Senate Commerce Committee will convene an executive session to discuss a dozen proposed pieces of legislation, including S. 3014, the Next Generation Telecommunications Act. If passed, this bill would establish a Next Generation Telecommunications Council composed of several Executive Branch officials and congressional appointees, and would direct the council to deliver a report to Congress reviewing past actions taken in deployment of advanced wireless networks, including 5G network, to advise lawmakers on actions to consider in advancing and deploying 6G mobile networks.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Trademark Basics

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

This USPTO informational session is designed to teach small business owners and entrepreneurs the basics of trademark registration for different types of marks including words, designs, logos and more. Topics covered during this webinar include searching trademark databases to find potentially conflicting marks, steps toward filing a trademark application and post-registration activities including maintenance fee payments. At noon on Tuesday, a Spanish-language version of this webinar will be held virtually by the USPTO.

Wednesday, March 23

Center for Strategic & International Studies

The Prospects for a U.S.-Japan Technology Security Alliance

At 8:30 AM on Wednesday, online video webinar.

After decades of economic competition between the U.S. and Japan, the two countries have lately collaborated as partners in key areas of innovation. Last October, business leaders in both countries called on the governments of their respective nations to take steps to secure technological supply chains, and this January foreign affairs and defense officials from the U.S. and Japan held a virtual 2+2 Security Consultative Committee resulting in several reciprocal commitments between the two countries, including commitments to pursue joint investments in several emerging technological fields including artificial intelligence and quantum computing. This event, hosted by CSIS in partnership with the Japanese government, will feature a discussion with a panel including Robert Atkinson, President, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation; Charles Edel, Australia Chair and Senior Advisor, CSIS; James Lewis, Senior Vice President and Director, Strategic Technologies Program, CSIS; Ambassador Kurt Tong, Partner, The Asia Group; Kazuto Suzuki, Professor, University of Tokyo; and moderated by Michael J. Green, Senior Vice President for Asia, Japan Chair, and Henry A. Kissinger Chair, CSIS, and Director of Asian Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. 

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

Developing Next Generation Technology for Innovation

At 10:00 AM on Wednesday in 253 Russell.

The global chip shortage has underscored the importance of securing critical supply chains for maintaining American economic competitiveness against foreign rivals. However, recent events like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and last week’s earthquake in Japan have added obstacles to raw material extraction and production activities. Currently, the House and Senate are working to reconcile differences between their respective major legislative packages aimed at helping the U.S. compete with China in several key sectors, including semiconductors. The witness panel for this hearing will include Pat Gelsinger, CEO, Intel Corporation; Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO, Micron; Tim Archer, President and CEO, Lam Research; and Preston Feight, CEO, PACCAR Inc.

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works 

Promoting American Energy Security by Facilitating Investments and Innovation in Climate Solutions

At 10:00 AM on Wednesday in 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) coordinates much of the Executive Branch’s activities on addressing climate change issues. Recently, the DoE launched the Better Climate Challenge public-private partnership program, which includes commitments to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by the year 2030 from more than 90 companies including Harley-Davidson, IKEA and the state of Maryland. Many new innovations in carbon capture and other technologies for climate solutions are expected to help these and other firms meet goals in reduced carbon emissions. The witness panel for this hearing has yet to be announced.

Information Technology & Innovation Foundation 

Book Talk on “Human-Centered AI” With Ben Schneiderman

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

The recent book “Human-Centered AI” by Ben Schneiderman, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, encourages entities developing and implementing AI systems to adopt strategies that favor utility to human stakeholders over pure technological efficiency. This event will feature a discussion between Schneiderman and Hodan Omaar, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Data Innovation, ITIF.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Diversifying Your Market or Supply Chain: Trademarks

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

This USPTO workshop is designed to support small business owners and entrepreneurs who are considering entering the Mexican market by informing virtual attendees on various trademark rules specific to Mexico. Topics covered during this workshop include filing trademark applications through the Madrid Protocol, Mexican rules for maintaining trademark registrations and steps toward registering a trademark in Mexico.

Thursday, March 24 

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

PTAB Inventor Hour Webinar – Episode 6

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

This webinar is the sixth such program in the USPTO’s PTAB Inventor Hour series designed to educate inventors on the workings of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, including both ex parte appeals from patent examiner rejections as well as America Invents Act (AIA) validity trials. This edition will feature a discussion with Chief Clerk Erica Swift on her role in PTAB operations, an overview of the Patent Pro Bono program, an overview of the PTAB’s consolidated trial practice guide and a case study focused on one inventor’s successful use of ex parte appeal proceedings.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

China IP: Quarterly Legislation and Case Law Update

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

This USPTO webinar explores recent changes to IP law in China, whether enacted through legislative action or established in case law from Chinese courts, that have taken place during the first quarter of 2022. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Susan Anthony, Senior Trademark Attorney; Neil Graham, Senior Copyright Attorney; Michael Diehl, Senior Attorney; David Foley, Attorney Advisor; Larry Lian, Senior Attorney; and moderated by Michael Mangelson, Principal Counsel and Director for China IP, Office of Policy and International Affairs, USPTO.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 

Accessing Publicly Available Documents Training Using Patent Center

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

This webinar offers a training session focused on the use of the USPTO’s Patent Center online tools for accessing publicly available information on patent applications and issued patents. A question-and-answer session will be held by USPTO professionals following the Patent Center demonstration.

Image Source: Deposit Photos
Author: jovannig
Image ID: 12633480