The Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus and the House Caucus on Intellectual Property hosted a lunch roundtable discussion to publicize the MGM v. Grokster case, the first intellectual property case decided by the Supreme Court since Sony v. Betamax in 1984. This event brought together representatives of  a broad range of intellectual property based industries which will be affected by the ruling.

Program and Speaker Biographies
Press Release

IIPI Congressional Roundtable on Copyright Issues
House Caucus on Intellectual Property Event
July 8, 2004

The House Caucus on Intellectual Property hosted a luncheon roundtable which centered on the effects of software piracy on both US software companies of all sizes and the relationship between software copyright enforcement and foreign direct investment abroad. Fifteen Members of Congress attended this lunch discussion.

Agenda and Speaker Biographies
Press Release

Striking a Balance in Trademark Protection
by Hon. Bruce Lehman and Tom Moore
May 2004
Managing Intellectual Property Magazine

Has trademark protection gone too far? Tom Moore and Bruce Lehman debate the trademark system, corporate power in court room and the fairness of recent trademark decisions.

Article (PDF, 99KB)

World Intellectual Property Day
April 28, 2004
Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC

The International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) co-hosted a luncheon for Members of Congress and their staff on Wednesday, April 28, 2004, to mark World Intellectual Property Day. A series of international events, World Intellectual Property Day celebrates the significance of creativity and innovation in people's daily lives. The theme of this year's local event was "Protecting America's Creativity Around the World".

Speakers at the event included: Jon W. Dudas, Acting Undersecretary of Commerce and Acting Director of the USPTO; Nick Taylor, President of the Authors Guild, best-selling author who wrote Laser: The Inventor, the Nobel Laureate, and the Thirty-year Patent War; and Peter C. Schultz, Ph.D., the co-developer of the world's first practical glass optical fiber for communications and the co-inventor of the fiber optics now used worldwide for telecommunications.

Agenda, Speaker Biographies and Materials
Press Release

Business Roundtable Discussion: IP Donations - A Policy Review
The Cosmos Club
Washington, DC
April 13, 2004

Continuing our work to draw attention to the changing rules pertaining to the donation of patents to non-profit organizations, this Business Roundtable Discussion brings together several experts who see the benefits and pitfalls of patent donations.

Business Roundtable Transcript  (PDF, 473KB)

Article: Please Donate Patents on the Shelf; Tax Benefits can be Focused for Greater Good
By Ron Layton and Peter Bloch
Published in: Legal Times Magazine
March 15, 2004

In an effort to encourage innovation and development, the United States adopted the practice of allowing tax deductions for the donation of patents. These donations provide US corporations with a large base for tax deductibility, however this does place a burden on the taxpayers. Therefore, while this donation of patented products and technologies can be beneficial there needs to be a way to ensure that everyone is reaping the rewards.

Article  (PDF, 73KB)

IIPI Report: Intellectual Property Donations - A Policy Review
By: Ron Layton and Peter Bloch
January 2004

For approximately 50 years, the IRS has allowed for patents donated to charities to be deducted from companies’ taxes. In recent years, the number of donated patents has grown rapidly, due largely to the incentives of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 and increased R&D and improved licensing structures at universities. More recently, the practice has garnered attention because of abuses of the donated patents, namely highly over-valued patents resulting in huge financial benefits to several companies.

As the U.S. government examines this practice, this policy review examines the history of the regulations, catalogues issues and challenges in the current debate, and frames them in the context of a broader dialogue about the need for a national innovation strategy. This Policy Review will form the basis for an upcoming roundtable of experts to discuss these issues and determine appropriate next steps and recommendations for the U.S. government to consider.

Report (PDF, 435KB)
Press Release

Intangible Assets, Valuation and Accounting Standards
May 1, 2002
United States Capitol
Washington, DC

Ideas, rather than products or commodities, increasingly govern today’s economy. The most dynamic economies in the world are invariably the centers of bold innovation and home to the application of creative ideas.  Unfortunately, the intangible assets – R&D, patents, copyrights, trademarks, brands, human capital, goodwill and other non-physical factors – that govern the businesses of these economies are often misunderstood and underutilized by business managers.  These intangible assets are poorly measured and rarely reported, and the implications for economic growth and public policy are tremendous.  On May 1, 2002, IIPI held a discussion forum entitled, “Accounting Standards in the New Economy.”   Former Securities and Exchange Commissioner Steven M.H. Wallman shared his thoughts about the importance of updating accounting standards and reporting systems to better reflect the economic reality that business assets are increasingly intangible.  Held at the U.S. Capitol, the luncheon forum was attended primarily by congressional staff, as well as members of the Licensing Executives Society (LES), a co-sponsor of the event.

Presentation Transcript   (PDF, 210k)
Speaker Biography   (PDF, 102k)
Press Release

Briefing to Congress on the HIV/AIDS Pandemic
July 20, 2001
Washington, DC

The International Intellectual Property Institute has been involved in research and discussion of the HIV/AIDS issue since its founding in 1998. In December 2000, IIPI published Patent Protection and Access to HIV/AIDS Pharmaceuticals in sub-Saharan Africa, a first-of-its-kind report examining the patent status of HIV/AIDS treatments in all countries of sub-Saharan Africa . As part of its efforts to promote access to HIV/AIDS medications to people in developing countries, IIPI worked in conjunction with the Congressional Economic Leadership Institute (CELI), to create a briefing for Members of Congress and Congressional staff concerning the role of the U.S. government in the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The half-day program was co-chaired by Congressmen Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) and Jim McDermott (D-WA) and featured several renowned experts on the crisis. Four separate panels examined the status of the crisis, the state of related science, approaches to intervention and prevention, care and treatment, and discussed how the resources and leadership of the U.S. government can be used most effectively.

Agenda, Biographies and Materials
Press Release

The United States and the Global Intellectual Property System Leadership and Responsibilities
Article by Hon. Bruce Lehman
June 2001

In order for the United States to harvest the fruits of TRIPS, developing countries will need technical assistance to implement agreements.

View Article (121 KB)

The Leadership of the USA on Business Method Patenting
Speech by Hon. Bruce Lehman
Paris, France
March 2001

After the 1998 Federal Court of Appeals decision in State Street Bank and Trust Company vs. Signature Financial Group stating that business methods cannot be patented due to the fact that they are subject matter. Therefore if companies do not define their patent application broadly enough to protect themselves they can be locked out of producing in certain countries if someone else has “invented” it first. This leads to the necessity for a company to develop a comprehensive intellectual property program to protect its inventions.

Speech (PDF, 192KB)

The New Cold War on American Culture - A Challenge for the Bush Administration
by Hon. Bruce Lehman
January 2001

As American movie and television industries continue to dominant world markets, countries like France and Canada will try to combat the popularity of America’s cultural products with anti-American rhetoric and attacks on American culture.

View Article (104 KB)