June 3, 2024
The Honorable Gina M. Raimondo
Secretary
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20230
Dear Secretary Raimondo,
We write to you as state and regional associations representing manufacturers of all sizes in all areas of the country. Manufacturers are integral to the fabric of our local communities, supporting well-paying jobs for people from all walks of life and driving economic growth for our states and the country as a whole.
Manufacturers are responsible for the development and commercialization of life-changing products that improve the quality of life for all Americans. Clean energy technologies, advanced semiconductors, life-saving medicines and more: these innovations are the result of years or decades of manufacturing ingenuity and investment. Manufacturers perform more than half of all private-sector research and development, while also bringing the industry’s know-how to bear via partnerships with and licensing from America’s research universities. But turning groundbreaking R&D into innovative products for the American people is only possible if creators—from university researchers to early-stage entrepreneurs to established businesses—can rely on strong intellectual property protections.
Unfortunately, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has proposed new guidance that would enable the government to “march in” and seize manufacturers’ intellectual property. We respectfully urge you to immediately and unequivocally withdraw this proposal.
If finalized, the NIST march-in guidance would have significant, detrimental impacts throughout America’s innovation economy—harming researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and manufacturers alike. Using march-in to undermine researchers’ IP rights would hamper universities’ ability to conduct groundbreaking research and manufacturers’ ability to license innovative technologies and develop them into products for the American people. As a result, march-in would strike a blow to the local economies in our states that depend on university-centered innovation hubs for job creation and economic growth.
This proposal could leave federally funded research collecting dust on laboratory shelves—resulting in fewer groundbreaking technologies and a hobbled U.S. innovation economy. We urge you to protect our local, state and regional economies, which benefit from breakthrough research, entrepreneurship and modern manufacturing, by withdrawing the proposed march-in guidance.
Sincerely,
Teresa Campbell
President
PIA MidAmerica
