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.
Explaining the High Cost of Prescription Drugs
Many brand name prescription drugs are expensive, and there are reasons for that. But most of the proposed political "fixes" would only make them more expensive or ensure they never reach the market. The better solution to controlling prices is to reduce onerous regulations an expand competition.
Flawed By Design
The next juicy target for “patent trolls” is ripening. Design patents have become increasingly attractive as a new target.
The Three Dumbest "Conservative" Objections to Patent Reform
One argument basically is: Obama supports patent reform, therefore it must be a liberal idea. But patent reform enjoys a long tradition of intellectual support from a wide range of right-leaning think tanks and advocacy groups, including IPI.
Coalition Letter Supporting Strong Protections for All Types of IP
A coalition of 85 organizations from 51 countries calls for global policymakers to bear serious consideration to the integral role that the IP rights of innovators, creators and entrepreneurs plays in economic, technological and cultural advancement.
Why No One Will Reform Washington
The R&D tax credit has been a “temporary” provision in the tax code since 1981. Each time the credit is about to expire, Congress rallies support to renew the tax break from those who benefit from it. As the libertarian IPI puts it, “this cycle has repeated itself for years ... Congress essentially uses this cycle to raise money for re-election, promising the industry more predictability the next time around.”
Drug R&D Costs: $1.7 Billion and Rising
The significant costs of developing new, life-saving drugs and treatments has reached over $1.7 billion per drug over a span of 10-12 years, due to the growing complexity of drugs, bureaucratic red tape and the short length of a drug’s patent life.
The High Cost of Inventing New Drugs--And of Not Inventing Them
The cost of developing new prescription drugs is very expensive—a process made even more expensive than it has to be because of excessive government restrictions and limited patent life. However, not developing new drugs can also be expensive, both in financial and human costs.
The High Cost Of Inventing New Drugs -- And Of Not Inventing Them
If the cost of creating new drugs is high, the cost of not having any new drugs is immeasurable.
Music Industry Makes Major Change To New Releases
According to a study by the Institute for Policy Innovation in 2007, the music industry loses out $12.5 billion each year due to piracy, or illegal downloading of music.
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property rights deserve the same protections as physical property rights, said an open letter to Congress from 67 advocacy groups, industry associations and scholars Monday.
Total Records: 207
