How to watch the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet

“A Midlife Crisis? IP and the Internet After 40”

First Q&A block: site blocking, digital replicas and AI training

Members question witnesses on the impact of Cox v. Sony on intermediary liability, the design of site-blocking remedies, transparency and licensing duties for AI developers, the need to federalize digital-replica rights, and how human authorship standards should govern AI-assisted outputs. Exchanges probe gaps in state protection, harms to non-celebrities, and potential collective licensing models for AI training data.

In this chapter

1. Rep. Cline Q&A: Cox v. Sony and site blocking guardrails
2. Ranking Member Johnson Q&A: AI training disclosure and piracy’s impact on film
3. Johnson–Astin exchange: protecting non-celebrities from digital replicas

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“A Midlife Crisis? IP and the Internet After 40”

Witness testimonies: deepfakes, site blocking and AI licensing

Industry, labor, enforcement, and academic witnesses present opening statements on digital-replica harms, organized IP crime, the case for judicial site blocking, and the need for a federal right against unauthorized digital replicas, while debating guardrails, safe harbors, and licensing obligations for AI training on copyrighted works.

In this chapter

1. Witness introductions and swearing-in
2. SAG-AFTRA: deepfakes, identity and NO FAKES rationale
3. Amblin/Spielberg counsel: global piracy and judicial site blocking

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“A Midlife Crisis? IP and the Internet After 40”

Opening statements: piracy, counterfeits and AI risks

Chairs and key members frame the hearing’s focus on global online piracy, counterfeit goods, and emerging AI-related IP threats, outlining economic harms, links to organized crime and terrorism, and the need for updated federal legislation and fair-use rules. They situate the debate within broader inequality, state–federal preemption concerns, and the balance between creator protection and innovation.

In this chapter

1. Opening gavel: piracy, terrorism links
2. Piracy economics, DMCA limits and live sports
3. Counterfeit drugs, state patchwork and call for federal AI/IP law

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“Medicines and IP: Balancing Innovation and Access”

Q&A round 2: Skinny Labels Act, China risk, and patent strength

Members focus on the proposed Skinny Labels Big Savings Act in light of the Supreme Court’s inducement ruling, debate whether cumulative reforms unduly weaken method‑of‑use patents and shift R&D to China, and discuss using patents versus trade secrets as well as restoring subject‑matter eligibility through the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act.

In this chapter

1. Q&A – Lofgren and Cline: Skinny Labels Big Savings Act after SCOTUS
2. Q&A – Ross: patent strength, China, and skinny labels
3. Q&A – Texas member: are patent thickets and evergreening real?
4. Q&A – Chair Kiley: patent disclosure, trade secrets, and PERA

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“Medicines and IP: Balancing Innovation and Access”

Q&A round 1: ETHIC Act, terminal disclaimers, Hatch‑Waxman, and global competition

Russell Fry Republican

Members question witnesses on how to reduce drug costs without chilling innovation, probe whether terminally disclaimed patents are abusive duplicates or legitimate overlap management, examine how patent thickets affect biosimilar entry and the BPCIA patent dance, and assess the implications of recent skinny‑label case law and patent reforms for U.S.–EU–China competitiveness.

In this chapter

1. Q&A – Rep. from Wisconsin: ETHIC Act’s impact on timing and innovation
2. Q&A – Johnson: terminal disclaimers and R&D risk recovery
3. Q&A – Democratic member: Hatch‑Waxman balance and certainty

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“Medicines and IP: Balancing Innovation and Access”

Witness testimony: patent thickets, ETHIC Act, and skinny labels

All four witnesses deliver opening statements contrasting views on whether current patent practice and continuation “thickets” distort competition, the merits of the ETHIC Act’s one‑patent‑per‑cluster approach, and the erosion or preservation of Hatch‑Waxman’s skinny‑label balance and PTAB’s role in clearing weak patents.

In this chapter

1. Carver: defense of current patent framework and critique of thicket reforms
2. Simpson: patents, Hatch‑Waxman success, and skepticism of ETHIC Act
3. Good (part 1): patent thickets, invalid patents, and litigation burden

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“Medicines and IP: Balancing Innovation and Access”

Opening statements: hearing scope and patent policy context

The chair and members open the hearing, define the focus on pharma and biotech patents, patent thickets, biosimilars and generics, discuss export‑only manufacturing, PTAB capacity, and U.S. drug pricing, and then formally introduce and swear in the witnesses.

In this chapter

1. Chair: hearing opened and scope defined
2. Chair: export carve‑out, PTAB staffing, jurisdiction limits
3. Ranking Member Johnson: value of patents and cost concerns

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