Faster tracks for patent applications by American investors and businesses developing cutting-edge technologies is being pushed by members of Congress in each party from Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont.
For Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., it’s another try to help those in the burgeoning Research Triangle Park. She’s the cosponsor to Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden’s Leading in Critical and Emerging Technologies Act.
In the Senate, Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn is shepherding companion legislation cosponsored by Vermont Democrat Peter Welch.
“America has always been a forerunner in technology and innovation, and we cannot fall back now,” Ross said. “The Leadership in Critical and Emerging Technologies Act will fast-track American innovation in key fields, empower inventors in the Research Triangle and beyond, and help us outperform our global competitors. North Carolina’s innovators are ready to lead, and this bipartisan legislation will give them the tools to do so. We have taken significant strides toward revitalizing American innovation and strengthening our competitiveness, and we must continue to build on that progress.”
Gooden said the legislation offers security in American global dominance for transformative technologies like artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
Blackburn said, “The United States cannot afford to fall behind to the Chinese Communist Party in the research and development of critical and emerging technology. My bipartisan Leadership in CET Act would expedite the patent review process to ensure we regain our competitive edge.”
In both chambers, the proposal rests with their respective Judiciary Committees.
Earlier this Congress, Ross was working across the aisle with bicameral legislation known as the PREVAIL Act. The acronym is for Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership.
The legislation would update and improve the patent system to protect essential property rights, she said. Ross was partnered with Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, in the House while Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of the Tarheel State is alongside bill author Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, in the upper chamber.
“China has made significant strides in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and is working rapidly to surpass the United States as a world leader in the field,” Welch said. “Accelerating our research and development in critical technologies is a vital step to maintaining our leadership on the world stage. Our bipartisan bill will boost our competitiveness and ensure we’re at the forefront of setting global standards for emerging technologies.”
This CET Act is endorsed by the High Tech Inventors Alliance, the Innovation Alliance, and the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
Supporters of the PREVAIL Act include the Council for Innovation Promotion, known also as C4IP; the Biotechnology Innovation Organization; and the Innovation Alliance.
