Hon. Dr. Walter Copan

Dr. Walter Copan is cofounder of the Renewing American Innovation Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Currently, he serves as vice president for research and technology transfer at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. He previously served as under secretary of commerce for standards and technology and 16th director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a position to which he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. He served as the U.S. principal presidential adviser on standards policy and technology matters and provided high-level oversight and strategic leadership for NIST, a world-leading science and technology institute. Under his widely acclaimed leadership, he spearheaded streamlining and modernization of foundational policies and practices for innovation and technology transfer arising from federally funded research to benefit the economy and society. Dr. Copan is a distinguished leader with wide-ranging experience spanning large company, entrepreneurial tech start-up, U.S. government, nonprofit, and other public sector settings. For the U.S. government, he also served with two of the Department of Energy national laboratories: the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory. He is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on matters of science and technology, strategy, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, intellectual property, and innovation. Dr. Copan began his career in research and development and business leadership at the Lubrizol Corporation. He earned undergraduate degrees and his PhD in physical chemistry from Case Western Reserve University and holds a certificate in advanced business administration studies at Harvard Business School. He was named 2020 laboratory director of the year by the U.S. Federal Laboratory Consortium. The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) recognized Dr. Copan with its 2021 Bayh-Dole Award for contributions to innovation and technology transfer.

U.S. Patenting Abroad — A Quiet Trade Advantage

By Chris Borges   Although patents are territorial, meaning they are limited to the jurisdiction in which they are granted, the networks spanning innovation and commerce are global. U.S. inventors routinely seek patent protection in markets abroad to safeguard their innovations, facilitate exports, and access new customers. By requiring member states
Read More

The U.S. IP Trade Surplus

By Chris Borges As debates over trade balances intensify, policymakers should remember where the United States already excels: the creation, sale, and licensing of intellectual property (IP). IP rights such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks convert ideas into protected and transferable economic assets, promoting innovation and economic growth.
Read More

The New SEP Powerhouse: How China is Shaping Global Patent Disputes

By Kirti Gupta and Mark Cohen As 5G cellular standards continue to connect billions of smartphones, automobiles, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) on Fair, Reasonable and Non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms has emerged as a key interest of businesses and policymakers worldwide. SEPs represent tens of billions of
Read More