Highlights From the 2020 LeadershIP Virtual Event

Walter Copan, Makan Delrahim & Andrei Iancu

On September 10, 2020, LeadershIP held an event titled Innovation Policy & the Role of Standards, IP, and Antitrust: a discussion between Walter Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”), Andrei Iancu, Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the US Patent Trademark Office (“USPTO”), and Makan Delrahim, Assistant Attorney General at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”). David J. Kappos, partner at Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and Former Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the USPTO, moderated the discussion. The panel discussed the role of IP, Antitrust, and Standards policies towards a broader innovation policy framework, highlighted recent developments such as the Joint PTO-DOJ-NIST Policy Statement on Remedies for Standards Essential Patents, and new initiatives within their respective agencies.

Below are the main highlights from the event. The full recording of the event can be found here.

Walter Copan:

“A strong reliable intellectual property system is the bedrock upon which U.S. innovation is built. This mission for innovation and standards of course connects us to the role of standards essential patents and the standards process itself provides a foundation of trust in emerging technologies and enables interoperability and se