Economic growth begins with ideas, innovation and creativity. Since the signing of the Constitution, the U.S. has protected the fruits of creativity and innovation through intellectual property protection, primarily expressed as patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets.
As our economy has become even more dependent on innovation, intellectual property issues have been pushed to the forefront. The clashes have led some to question the value and even the legitimacy of IP protection. While some of these attacks come from the libertarian perspective, most originate from the same naïve socialist impulses that so demonstrably failed in the realm of real property—but somehow are seen as thoughtful with respect to IP.
IPI believes that creators have the right to own and control the fruits of their creativity, and that the IP system has done an admirable job of not only incentivizing innovation, but also making creative products and services available to the public and transferring technology to the developing world.
International
Those who oppose intellectual property rules in FTAs mostly base their rejection on a fundamental opposition to IP rights protections, rather than to the particulars of trade deals, wrote IPI's Tom Giovanetti.
India's Modi Can Boost Foreign Investment By Protecting IP
Even friendly nations have occasional squabbles, and the United States has a major one with India: Respecting the intellectual property of U.S. companies.
Smelly Lockers: A True Story of Pirates
Pirates, mere thieves of artists and creators' inventions, have at the moment found a new place from which to operate.
Report: Clearly in U.S. Interests to Include Intellectual Property Protection in FTAs
Intellectual property (IP) goods not only dominate U.S. exports and support a significant portion of the U.S. domestic economy, but IP protections also strengthen economic growth in countries around the world. A new paper says it is therefore crucial for the U.S. government to prioritize policies supporting innovation and creativity, especially in trade agreements.
Why Intellectual Property Should Be Included In Trade Agreements
IP goods are the largest share of U.S. exports and support a significant portion of the U.S. economy. The U.S. economy is increasingly dependent on the products of innovation, so policies that support innovation and creativity should be priorities for the U.S. government, especially in trade agreements. And nudging our trading partners toward greater respect for intellectual property rights also turns out to be in their best interests.
What Software Patents Have Wrought: 'A lottery ticket to a lawsuit'
In June, the Supreme Court held that abstract ideas are not patentable and that merely implementing them via computer was not enough to make them so. While this decision provides some help, Congress must act to clarify the situation and end the very real harm to the overall patent system.
Is streaming technology saving the music industry?
When digital downloads took off in the late Nineties, file-sharing services blossomed, too. The industry went into a tailspin as music sales virtually halved over the next decade. One 2007 study by IPI estimated that illegal downloading was costing the US economy $12.5bn a year.
Apple-Samsung Wars Are Hurting Innovation
By directing its energies toward tying up its competitors' time and resources in endless court battles, Apple mires the industry in litigious quicksand, diverts resources from innovation, and deprives consumers of new products and services.
In Aereo, the Supreme Court Gets It Right
The Aereo decision is a victory for property rights and the rule of law, rather than the triumph of entrenched interests over disruptive innovation.
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