Standards, Licensing & Global Competition in Capital Markets
May 2026 | U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, D.C.
The Forum
On May 14, 2026, Tech+IP hosted the inaugural TIP-X Forum at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C, bringing together a select group of over 30 experts in patent policy, standards, licensing, and capital markets for a focused, half-day exchange.
The forum featured three expert panels exploring what drives standards innovation, the gap between SEP licensing narratives and real-world market evidence, and the growing role of standards as a tool of industrial and geopolitical strategy. The morning concluded with a direct report-out from Capitol Hill engagements that took place the day prior.
What We Heard
Five key themes emerged consistently across panels and discussions:
- Patents as Investment Infrastructure: Strong, predictable IP rights are a condition for capital formation, R&D investment, and standards participation. The conversation needs to shift from patents as legal rights to patents as economic infrastructure.
- Standards Are Competitiveness Policy: Standards are not technical documents. They are foundational infrastructure for U.S. leadership in connectivity, AI, automotive, IoT, and the markets of tomorrow. Standards policy is innovation policy.
- Licensing Needs a Better Public Narrative: Market-based licensing supports innovation, reduces transaction costs, and returns capital to inventors and investors. Distinguishing serious licensing activity from abusive conduct is essential.
- Enforcement Credibility Drives Investment: Without a credible prospect of enforcement, licensing negotiations break down and efficient infringement becomes more attractive. A functioning remedies framework is central to a healthy innovation ecosystem.
- Advocacy Must Be Targeted, Data-Driven, and Bipartisan — Generic patent advocacy is no longer sufficient. The path forward is a refined message built around investment, jobs, national security, and the economic consequences of weakening U.S. IP rights.
Investment-Driven Innovation
Innovation requires capital at every stage: R&D, patenting, standards participation, implementation, licensing, and reinvestment. Predictable IP rights and credible remedies are not abstract legal principles; they are the conditions that make that investment model work. Tech+IP is committed to being the leading market-informed voice that connects patent rights, standards, licensing, and remedies to real investment outcomes. This is done through TIP-X and our policy priority coordination efforts.
TIP-X is a Tech+IP forum designed to convene leading experts across patent law, standards bodies, capital markets, and policy for substantive, off-the-record dialogue. TIP-X's goal is to surface the ideas and evidence that matter to the people that matter.
Stay Connected
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