“We’ve got to move big and we’ve got to move fast.” – Judge Paul Michel
“我们必须大刀阔斧，且刻不容缓。”——联邦巡回上诉法院（CAFC）前首席法官保罗·米歇尔（Paul Michel）
With Donald J. Trump back in the White House, intellectual property (IP) and innovation policy are poised for significant shifts. During IPWatchdog LIVE 2025, an expert panel titled “Inside the Beltway: The Future of IP and Innovation Policy,” featuring retired Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Paul Michel, U.S. House Judiciary Chief Counsel for IP J. John Lee, Senate IP Director Peter-Anthony Pappas, and public policy expert Patrick Kilbride discussed what lies ahead for patent law, legislative reforms, and America’s ability to compete in a rapidly changing global landscape. Judge Michel set the tone for the discussion with a stark warning: “We have a huge strategic and technology contest with China, where we’re in a technology race—and China is starting to win big time,” Michel said. “We’re falling behind very fast.”
随着唐纳德·特朗普（Donald J. Trump）再度入主白宫，美国知识产权与创新政策或将迎来剧烈转向。在IPWatchdog LIVE 2025期间，一个名为 “Inside the Beltway: The Future of IP and Innovation Policy ”的专家小组由美国联邦巡回上诉法院（CAFC）退休首席法官保罗-米歇尔（Paul Michel）、美国众议院知识产权司法首席顾问J. 米歇尔法官以尖锐警告定调讨论：“我们正与中国展开一场战略与技术‘生死竞赛’，而中国正开始大获全胜。美国正急速掉队。”
Trump’s America-First Approach to IP
Lee emphasized that a big priority of the Republican House of Representatives is going to be supporting the agenda and priorities of this President. And a big part of that is going to be his America First policy. A key theme of the panel was that Trump’s administration is going to do what Trump wants to do, and as Lee pointed out, IP reform will need to align with Trump’s overarching goals to gain traction.
众议院共和党首席知识产权顾问J·约翰·李（J. John Lee）强调，共和党掌控的众议院核心任务将是全力推进特朗普政策议程。其中的一个重要部分就是他的 “美国优先 ”政策。小组讨论的一个关键主题是，特朗普政府将做特朗普想做的事，正如 Lee 所指出的，知识产权改革需要与特朗普的总体目标保持一致，才能获得牵引力。
“Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is a force of nature,” Lee said. “He mixes things up. He is a disruptor. He makes big changes. And so it is entirely possible that he is the one to ignite the changes we need.”
“不管你爱他还是恨他，唐纳德-特朗普都是一股自然力量，”李说。"他把事情搞得一团糟。他是一个破坏者。他能带来巨大的变化。因此，他完全有可能点燃我们需要的变革。
Lee emphasized that under Trump, the framing of the dialogue will be crucial—not about legal nuances between patent owners and implementers, but about protecting American innovation and securing U.S. technological leadership. He explained: “It’s not going to be about what’s good for owners versus bad for users. It’s going to be about what’s good for the United States versus what strengthens our foreign competitors, particularly China.”
李强调说，在特朗普的领导下，对话的框架将至关重要--不是关于专利所有人和实施者之间的法律细微差别，而是关于保护美国创新和确保美国技术领先地位。他解释道： 他解释说：“这不是对专利所有人有利还是对使用者不利的问题。未来政策辩论的焦点不再是专利所有者与实施者的利益平衡，而是‘何者利于美国，何者助长中国’的零和博弈。”
One of the biggest variables is Howard Lutnick, the recently confirmed Commerce Secretary. As a prolific inventor and businessman, Lutnick’s leadership could lead to a more aggressive pro-patent stance at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), reversing policies that have historically favored large implementers over small inventors.
最大的变数之一是最近被确认的商务部长霍华德-卢特尼克（Howard Lutnick）。作为一名多产的发明家和商人，卢特尼克的领导能力可能会使美国专利商标局（USPTO）采取更积极的支持专利的立场，扭转历来有利于大型实施者而不利于小发明家的政策。
Legislative Reforms on the Horizon
The panel discussed three major bills that could reshape IP law:
专家组聚焦可能重构知识产权体系的三项关键立法：
The Patent Eligibility Reform Act (PERA): Aims to clarify patent eligibility under Section 101, reducing confusion and uncertainty in the application process.
《专利资格改革法案》（PERA）：旨在厘清《美国法典》第35编第101条下的专利适格性标准，终结生物技术、软件等领域长期争议；
The Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership Act (PREVAIL Act): Seeks to curb abuses in the PTAB system and restore balance in patent challenges.
《PREVAIL法案》：剑指专利审判和上诉委员会（PTAB）程序滥用，重塑专利无效挑战的程序正义；
The Realizing Engineering, Science, and Technology Opportunities by Restoring Exclusive (RESTORE) Patent Rights Act: This legislation seeks to reinstate the strength of injunctive relief for patent holders by counteracting the effects of the eBay decision, which made it more difficult to obtain injunctions against infringers.
《RESTORE法案》：通过推翻最高法院“eBay案”先例（注：该案抬高禁令颁发门槛），重振专利禁令救济威慑力。
Despite bipartisan efforts from Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), movement on these bills remains slow. As Pappas noted:
“IP in the Judiciary tends to fall to the bottom of the bucket. You’re dealing with immigration, guns, marriage—very political issues. Then I say, ‘IP isn’t political, right?’ But that’s exactly why it takes extra work to move the needle.”
立法困境：尽管获两党议员（如参议员库恩斯与蒂利斯）支持，法案推进仍步履维艰。参议院知识产权事务主管彼得-安东尼·帕帕斯（Peter-Anthony Pappas）直言：“在移民、控枪等高度政治化议题夹击下，知识产权改革难获国会优先关注。但正因为如此，才需要付出额外的努力来推动工作。”
China’s IP Strategy: The Competitive Threat
China’s approach to intellectual property was another major concern raised by the panel. “China isn’t picking sides,” warned Lee. “They’re rigging the system to favor their own inventors while gaming international patent rules. If we don’t adapt, we’ll be left behind.”
中国知识产权战略成为讨论焦点。李警告说：“中国正系统性操纵国际专利规则——通过滥发低质专利（如华为持有的大量‘标准必要专利’）虚增技术话语权。若美国固守现行政策，技术霸权易手将成定局。”
China has aggressively pursued patent accumulation, often issuing patents of questionable quality to inflate its standing. As Lee pointed out:
中国积极追求专利积累，经常颁发质量有问题的专利来抬高自己的地位。正如李指出的那样：
“By some measures, the largest standard essential patent portfolio in telecom is owned by Huawei, a Chinese state-backed company. But if you talk to any engineer, most of those patents are garbage—just numbers to manipulate the system.”
“从某种程度上说，电信领域最大的标准必要专利组合归中国国家支持的华为公司所有。他援引工程师观点尖锐批评‘华为多数专利实为数字游戏道具，纯粹服务于体制博弈。’”
The Federal Circuit’s Role in IP Uncertainty
Judge Michel was particularly critical of the state of the U.S. court system’s handling of patent law. “The courts aren’t going to help,” he said. “They can’t help. The Federal Circuit has become fragmented, the Supreme Court’s decisions have created chaos, and now we need Congress to step in before it’s too late.”
米歇尔法官痛陈美国专利司法体系痼疾：“联邦巡回上诉法院（CAFC）内部意见分裂，最高法院判例前后矛盾，导致专利法深陷‘不确定性泥潭’。国会必须绕过司法困局，以立法快车道重塑规则。”针对听众“是否应召开国会听证会问责CAFC”的提问，他直言：“CAFC已沦为‘法官各自为战’的法庭，亟需重拾共识决策传统。”
An audience member asked the panel whether Congress should hold oversight hearings on the Federal Circuit’s performance. Judge Michel agreed that the court’s inconsistency has led to uncertainty in patent law and suggested that major reform is necessary: “The Federal Circuit used to work hard to speak with one voice. Now, it looks like ‘every judge for themselves.’ We need stronger leadership and a return to consistency.”
一位听众问专家小组，国会是否应就联邦巡回法院的表现举行监督听证会。米歇尔法官同意法院的不一致导致了专利法的不确定性，并建议有必要进行重大改革： “联邦巡回法院曾经努力用一个声音说话。现在，看起来就像每个法官为自己说话。我们需要更强有力的领导，恢复一致性。”
The Need for a National IP Strategy
One of the strongest points of agreement was the need for a coordinated national IP strategy. Judge Michel argued that leadership must come from the executive branch: “We ought to have, in the White House, an innovation czar who designs an overall architecture of an integrated IP system that would coordinate the work of all these different players. As long as it’s uncoordinated, it’s going to remain hopelessly inefficient.”
与会者一致呼吁构建国家知识产权战略统一战线。米歇尔法官主张设立白宫‘创新沙皇’职位，统筹USPTO、商务部与国会行动；米歇尔法官认为，行政部门必须发挥领导作用：“我们应该在白宫设立一个创新沙皇，负责设计一个综合知识产权体系的整体架构，协调所有不同参与者的工作。只要缺乏协调，效率就会低得无可救药。”
Kilbride reinforced this point, suggesting that Secretary of Commerce Lutnick could play the role of IP strategist: “If we are going to see big change, it’s going to come from the White House. There’s going to be a signal sent. And that moment is now.”
政策专家帕特里克·基尔布赖德（Patrick Kilbride）则指新任商务部长卢特尼克可担此任：“唯有白宫发出顶层变革信号，方能打破部门割据，激活创新合力。”
The Time for Action is Now
Judge Michel said that, ultimately, the U.S. IP system can no longer wait for the courts to clean up their mess and that the only hope lies with Congress. He explained:
米歇尔法官以“战时动员”口吻总结：“法院体系积重难返，国会必须以‘救火速度’立法止损。若改革迟滞，美国或将彻底丧失对华技术反超机会——此刻不动，更待何时？”
“I hate to be so critical and pessimistic, but I really think we have a total mess in the courts, which basically means that most of the problems are going to have to be solved in the Congress, and it’s going to have to be fast, because…if you take too long to clean up your act, it could be too late. If other people get too far ahead, you may not be able to recover at all. So, we’ve got to move big and we’ve got to move fast.”
"我不想如此挑剔和悲观，但我真的认为我们的法院一团糟，这基本上意味着大多数问题都必须由国会来解决，而且必须要快，因为......如果你花了太长时间来清理你的行为，那就可能为时已晚。如果其他人领先太多，你可能根本无法恢复。所以，我们必须大刀阔斧，快速行动。"