AUTM Speaks Out

Taking a Stand

Read the letters and papers that AUTM has authored or signed.

2024

AUTM joins Higher Ed Coalition Members to issue comments on the NIST draft march-in Framework.

2024

 AUTM’s comments in response to NIST’s Request for Information Regarding the Draft Interagency Guidance Framework for Considering the Exercise of March-In Rights (Federal Register/Vol. 88, No. 235/Dec. 8, 2023) (“Draft Guidance”) 

Find the PowerPoint from the January 29 AUTM webinar here.

2024 Implications of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Commitments/Regimes and Other Proposed Commitments in the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2023

AUTM Requests March-In Rights Comment Period Extension

2023

AUTM Comments for OMB Docket OMB-2023-0017 (Guidance for Grants and Agreements)

2023

AUTM Leadership Signs Letter Opposing the WTO's Proposed Waiver of IP rights for COVID-19 Therapeutics and Diagnostics

2023

AUTM’s Comments in Response to the United States Copyright Office’s Notice of Inquiry and Request for Comments Regarding Artificial Intelligence and Copyright (Docket No. 2023-6; Document No. 2023-18624)

2023

AUTM Share Support for the PREVAIL Act

2023 AUTM Throws Support Behind the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act
2023

AUTM’s Written Comments Regarding the Workshop on Transforming Discoveries into Products: Maximizing NIH’s Levers to Catalyze Technology Transfer 

2023

AUTM’s Comments in Response to the USPTO’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) Regarding Changes Under Consideration to Discretionary Institution Practices, Petition Word-Count Limits, and Settlement Practices for America Invents Act Trial Proceedings Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (Docket ID Number: PTO-P-2020-0022)

2023 AUTM Commends NIST on Redesign of iEdison
2023

AUTM Writes President Biden

2023 Former AUTM Chair Addresses House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
2023

AUTM Responds to USPTO Request for Comments Regarding Artificial Intelligence and Inventorship

2023

AUTM Urges USITC to Reject Any Further Waivers of TRIPS

2023

AUTM Surveys Tech Transfer Offices Regarding Their Use of Domestic Manufacturing Waivers, Finds Few are Issued

2023

AUTM urges House and Senate Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee to fully fund the tech transfer programs in FY '24

2023 Sign the Letter to Congress Regarding Requirement to Capitalize R&E Expenses 
2023

AUTM CEO Comments on New Tax Law That Could Block Innovation

2023

AUTM’s Comments on the USPTO Initiatives to Ensure the Robustness and Reliability of Patent Rights (Docket ID Number: PTO-2022-0025)

2023

AUTM Signs Follow-up Brief in Support of Rehearing to Correct Standard Applied to Biotech and Pharmaceutical Patents 

2022

AUTM Speaks Out Against Pride in Patent Ownership Act 

2022 AUTM Suggests PTAB Changes to USPTO Director Vidal
2022 AUTM Lauds Passage of CHIPS Act, Urges Congress to Provide Funding
2022 AUTM and allies caution U.S. HHS Secretary Becerra on the devastating impact of misusing the march-in provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act
2022 AUTM Urges House Science Leadership to Include Provisions on Technology Transfer in Final USICA Bill
2022 Our Chair's Response to the New York Times' Patent Reform Editorial
2022 Read the Bayh-Dole Coalition letter to HHS on Xtandi march-in petition
2022 AUTM's Comments to Artificial Intelligence R&D Strategic Plan
2022 AUTM Releases DOE DEC Survey Findings
2021 AUTM Issues Comments to the 2021 SEP Policy Statement
2021 AUTM Statement on Bob Dole's Legacy
2021 AUTM Signs Brief in Support of Rehearing to Correct Standard Applied to Biotech and Pharmaceutical Patents
2021 AUTM Raises DOE DEC Concerns
2021 AUTM Signs Brief in Support of Apple
2021 AUTM's Comments on USPTO's Patent Eligibility Jurisprudence Study
2021 AUTM Expresses Support for USICA Tech Transfer Provision
2021 Patent Waiver Strikes Damaging Blow to the Future of Innovation
2021 AUTM Joins World IP Coalition Statement Celebrating Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity
2021 AUTM Past Leadership Letter to NIST Supporting Proposal to Clarify the Original Intent of Bayh-Dole
2021 AUTM's Comments on NIST's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Rights to Federally Funded Inventions and Licensing of Government Owned Inventions
2021 AUTM's Statement on Racism Aimed at Asian Americans
2021 AUTM's Comments on the National Strategy for Expanding American Innovation
2020 AUTM’s Comments on Discretion to Institute Trials Before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
2020

AUTM Joins 300+ American Innovators and Orgs Urging Congress to Support USPTO Patent System Reforms

2020 AUTM's Comments on the Proposed Use of “March-In” Rights for Remdesivir
2020 AUTM Calls for Embracing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
2020 AUTM 2019 Canadian Region Director’s Forum Report
2020 iEdison Request for Information Regarding the Interagency Edison System for Reporting Federally
Funded Inventions
(Docket No. 191126-0092)
2020 AUTM’s Comments on Intellectual Property Protections for Artificial Intelligence Innovation 
(Docket No. PTO-C-2019-0038) 
2019 AUTM Comments on Patenting Artificial Intelligence Inventions
(Docket No. PTO-C-2019-0029)
2019 IP Attaché Program
AUTM joins in support for robust, coordinated US government efforts to promote American innovation and intellectual property, including the efforts of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s Intellectual Property (IP) Attaché program.

2019

 

STRONGER Patents Act
AUTM joined other associations in a statement of support for the bipartisan Support Technology & Research for Our Nation’s Growth and Economic Resilience (STRONGER) Patents Act  to protect the property rights of the inventors that grow the country’s economy.

2019 SUCCESS Act of 2018 (P.L. 115‐273) Joint Statement of the Association of American Medical Colleges, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land‐grant Universities, AUTM and Council on Governmental Relations.
2019 2019 AUTM and BIO Report
University research has added up to $1.7 trillion to US economy since 1996. Read the full report
2019 AUTM Signals Support for the Regional Innovation Program
View RIS Coalition Letter to House
View RIS Coalition Letter to Senate
2019 AUTM Responds to Subject Matter Guidance
AUTM commented on the §101 subject matter eligibility guidance and the §112 guidance on examining computer–implemented functional claim limitations posted in the Federal Register January 7, 2019.
2019 International Knowledge/Technology Transfer Leadership Summit Summary
AUTM convened an international summit on technology and knowledge transfer in Sitges, Spain, in September 2018 to connect communities working to strategically analyze the evolution of the field, and its future. To that end, 38 global thought leaders from 18 countries joined the two-day roundtable to discuss some of the critical issues facing the community. You can learn more about their discussion and findings here.
2019 AUTM Comments on the NIST Return on Investment Initiative Green Paper
AUTM issued additional feedback on the green paper. A final version is expected in early 2019. 

2018

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
AUTM joined a coalition of organizations in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The group urged continued U.S. leadership and engagement in WIPO — such engagement is a critical component of U.S. efforts to promote and protect American innovation around the world.

2018

 

SUCCESS Act
AUTM joined other higher ed organizations in a statement of support for the Study of Underrepresented Classes Chasing Engineering and Science Success (SUCCESS) Act and efforts to foster greater diversity and inclusion within the innovation ecosystem.

2018

NIST ROI  Statement
AUTM issued a response to the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), which is assessing the Federal technology transfer system and soliciting feedback.

2018

PTAB Claim Constuction
AUTM issued comments on the USPTO’s proposed changes to the Claim Construction Standard used in PTAB Proceedings.

2018

Bayh-Dole Rule Changes: What They are, What They Mean
AUTM hosted a free webinar to discuss the changes. View the webinar

2017

AUTM-BIO Report
The licensing of university research has made a significant contribution to US gross domestic product (GDP), industry gross output, and jobs over the last two decades, according to an independent study commissioned by AUTM and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Read it here

2017

STRONGER Patents Act
AUTM joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) to release a joint statement regarding the introduction of the Support Technology and Research for Our Nation’s Growth and Economic Resilience (STRONGER) Patents Act in the U.S. Senate.

2017

Letter to the FDA
AUTM joined the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Association of American Universities (AAU), Association of Public Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Council On Governmental Relations (COGR) in a letter to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Comissioner of Food and Drugs at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Read the letter

2017

 

World Intellectural Property Organizaton (WIPO)
AUTM joined other organizations in letter to Secretary Tillerson to emphasize the importance of continued U .S. engagement in the WIPO as a critical component of U.S. efforts to provide effective protection and enforcement of U. S. intellectual property rights, a core component of the Administration’s trade policy agenda.

2016

Federally Funded Inventions
AUTM  joined other organiztions to comment on the Rights to Federally Funded Inventions and Licensing of Government Owned Inventions.

2015

Patient Advocacy Groups Concerned About H.R. 9
More than 100 patient advocacy groups sent a joint letter to House and Senate leaders to express concerns that H.R. 9, the "Innovation Act" falls short of preserving important patent protections for biopharmaceutical innovation. Read more.

2015

Senate Testimony on Patent Reform
David Winwood, AUTM’s then President-Elect, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship about the importance of maintaining a fair and equitable U.S. patent system from the perspective of U.S. research universities. His testimony  took place during a hearing titled, “Patent Reform: Protecting Innovation and Entrepreneurship.”  Read testimonial.

2014

AUTM Participates in Capitol Hill Briefing on Tech Transfer Policy
The Congressional Technology Transfer Caucus conducted a Capitol Hill briefing on technology transfer policy reform on January 28. A panel of national experts discussed university R&D commercialization issues as well as proposed policy solutions to accelerate research into the marketplace. Click here to view a video from the briefing.