Former USPTO Director David Kappos on Why Strong IP Protections are Key to America’s Edge

As we wrap up IP Month, WWFH Executive Director Dan Leonard sat down for a conversation with David Kappos of the Council for Innovation Promotion. As former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Lawyer at IBM, Kappos is an expert in the innovation and intellectual property (IP) space. 

Throughout the conversation, Kappos underscores the fundamental importance of strong IP protections to American leadership in the life sciences.  

"New treatments, new drugs, new biologics, new diagnostics, and new medical equipment only get funded, only get created, and only get brought to market if they've got strong and effective intellectual property rights behind them," he said.  

As global competition intensifies, Kappos highlights that the U.S. must double down on innovation-friendly policies to keep its edge, particularly as China rapidly invests in its life science sector.  

“The only way we can keep up and continue to out-innovate China and other countries is if we have a strong incentive system [for investment]. We don't have a top down, controlled economy like China does... here, we have to have strong incentive systems, and we've got them because of our intellectual property laws in the U.S.”  

Check out the full interview to learn more about the foundational role strong intellectual property protections play in sustaining the flow of investment, talent and groundbreaking discoveries that power American innovation in the life sciences.