This Week in Washington IP: Senators Evaluate AI’s Impact on Copyright, FTC Oversight Hearing, and Growth in the Commercial Space Sector

This week in Washington IP news, the Senate IP subcommittee will hear about the potential impact of AI on copyright law. Elsewhere, the House Judiciary Committee plans to grill FTC Chair Linda Khan and the House Space Committee will talk about how the U.S. can maintain its leadership position in the commercial space industry.

Tuesday, July 11

United States Patent and Trademark Office

Trademark Basics Boot Camp, Module 1: Fundamentals

At 2:00 PM on Tuesday, online livestream

The USPTO is kicking off an eight-part virtual Trademark Basics Bootcamp with a module on trademark protection in the United States. The event is tailored to small business owners and entrepreneurs interested in learning about federal trademark registration. The module will be 90 minutes long and end with a Q&A session.

Wednesday, July 12

Center for Strategic & International Studies

Competing for the Future of Cloud Computing

At 1:30 on Wednesday, online livestream

CSIS will hear from industry experts who will present the case that cloud computing is key to economic development and foreign policy. The event will be hosted by CSIS’s Strategic Technologies Programs. The panelists include Antonio Garcia Zaballos of the Inter-American Development Bank and Stephan Lang, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Information and Communications Policy.

Senate Subcommittee on Intellectual Property

Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property – Part II: Copyright

At 3:00 PM on Wednesday, Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226 and online livestream

The Senate IP subcommittee is meeting to discuss the impact of AI on the future of copyright, one month after holding a hearing to discuss its repercussions on patents and innovation. AI-generative services such as ChatGPT have caused much confusion surrounding copyright law. In a recent legal sidebar prepared by the Congressional Research Service, a legislative attorney wrote, “Congress may wish to consider whether any of the copyright law questions raised by generative AI programs require amendments to the Copyright Act or other legislation.”

Thursday, July 13

House Judiciary Committee

Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission

At 10:00 AM on Thursday, 2141 Rayburn House Office Building and online livestream

The announcement for this hearing promises that the committee will take a critical look at the current state of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). According to the announcement, the committee will “examine mismanagement of the FTC and its disregard for ethics and congressional oversight under Chair Lina Khan… [and] the Commission’s record of enforcement actions and politicized rulemakings.” FTC Chair Linda Khan will testify at the hearing.

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Continuing U.S. Leadership in Commercial Space at Home and Abroad

At 10:00 AM on Thursday, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building and online livestream

The House Science Committee will hear from at least three expert witnesses on the state of the commercial space industry in the United States. According to consulting firm McKinsey, the U.S. commercial space industry could grow to a $1 trillion industry by 2030.