At a House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director Andrei Iancu pressed lawmakers to address what he described as a weakening of U.S. intellectual property rights by America's trading partners. The hearing, titled "Maintaining American Innovation and Technology Leadership," examined a range of regulatory and legal burdens on the tech industry, with IP protection as a central concern.
Iancu's testimony highlighted that foreign policies are eroding the value of U.S. patents and trademarks, which he said undermines the competitive edge of American innovators. He urged the subcommittee to consider trade measures that would push back against these trends, arguing that stronger IP enforcement abroad is essential for maintaining U.S. leadership in technology.
The subcommittee's broader agenda included other regulatory hurdles, but Iancu's focus was specifically on IP. The source does not indicate any dissenting views within the hearing, so the account presents a unified call for action, though it does not detail specific policy proposals or the administration's response.