Posts Tagged: "US Economy"

American Entrepreneurship Languishes as Startups Face Unfavorable Ecosystem

There can be no dispute that the level of business startup activity has been on the decline in the United States over the past few decades. So alarming is the downward trend that publications like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and others have tackled the issue in depth. Inc. Magazine has even asked whether entrepreneurship in America is dead? Still, a disturbing counter-factual narrative seems to be taking hold inside the Beltway, and on Capitol Hill. Despite all research and data to the contrary, some are actually saying that startups are on the rise, and then using carefully selected and tortured data points to claim that patent reforms are the reason for the rise in startups, and more patent reforms are needed.

Bloomberg Innovation Index is Latest Sign US Innovation Economy is in Dire Straits

For the first time since the inception of the Bloomberg Innovation Index, the U.S. ranked outside the top 10, ranking 11th out of the 50 economies. This latest dip in standing for the U.S. innovation economy is simply the most recent sign that significant issues exist relative to innovation and intellectual property… Another trend pointed out by the recent Bloomberg Innovation Index is the slow rise of the innovation economy in China which has shown signs of improving just as the United States continues to be unable to address key IP issues. China climbed two rank positions in the most recent version of the Bloomberg index, up to 19th from 21st the previous year.

How IP-Protected Innovation is Driving Economic Growth

IP-protected innovation is now the principal driver of corporate value and is driving economic growth nationally. Developing an IP portfolio is now a basic requirement even for tech startups that hope to raise early stage financing… A large portion of the market cap of Silicon Valley companies can be directly attributed to intangible – or in other words intellectual property – assets. IP law is the primary tool used to protect the value of that innovation, and as we see from countries without meaningful IP laws there is simply no way to protect innovation absent a strong intellectual property system.

Got IP? Get out. For investors thinking of selling, acting in the next few days is critical.

As of the date of this publication, the US House of Representatives and the Senate have passed the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” as reconciled by the conference committee. Now that the President has signed the Republican tax bill into law, IP owners may find the tax bill will impact sales of certain intellectual property… Given that the Committee Bill directly contradicts itself with respect to the tax treatment of the sale of patents by taxpayers whose personal efforts created such property, it is unclear how this Bill will be implemented. It is unclear how gains or losses on a sale of self-created assets by a taxpayer who created a patent will be treated.

Economic Consequences of the Patent Crisis

The Fed has been oblivious to the mechanisms of market economics and technology investment driven by the degradation of patent rights in recent years. While the Fed focuses exclusively on inflation and the labor market, they have ignored factors driving technology investment and the disintegration of the patent system that has underscored the declining business investment trend. With a degraded patent system, investors have shifted to other asset classes or markets rather than investing in technology.