Brad Watts, senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC), oversees the center’s day-to-day operations. He also leads the development and implementation of the Chamber’s U.S. and global intellectual property (IP) agenda to foster a political, legal, and economic environment where innovators and creators can invest in the next big thing for the benefit of Americans and the world.
Watts previously served as the Republican chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. There he was responsible for planning and implementing Senator Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) and the Republican party’s legislative portfolio on all aspects of IP law.
In the 116th Congress, when Senator Tillis was chairman of the subcommittee, Watts served as majority chief counsel and staff director for the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Intellectual Property. He was responsible for implementing the senator’s legislative and oversight agenda on all aspects of America’s innovation economy.
During Watts’ tenure as majority chief counsel, the subcommittee held 17 legislative and oversight hearings and multiple staff briefings on IP issues, ranging from the state of patent eligibility law in America to reforming the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Under his leadership, the subcommittee passed the CASE Act, the Trademark Modernization Act, and the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act, three landmark bills that collectively represent the largest changes to IP law since the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.
Earlier, Watts was chief immigration counsel to then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA). He began his career with former Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as a legislative counsel on the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, handling civil rights and civil liberties law, general tort law, bankruptcy, telecommunications, and IP issues for the senator.
Courthouse Steps Decision Teleforum: Allen v. Cooper
John T. Cross, Ralph Oman, Steven M. Tepp, Ernest Young
Intellectual Property Practice Group Teleforum
Of Federalism, Copyright, and Blackbeard’s Revenge: The recent Supreme Court ruling in Allen v. Cooper is the...
Modernizing Copyright Law for the Digital Age
Seth L. Cooper, Randolph May, Adam Mossoff, Michael Risch
In this teleforum, co-authors Randolph May and Seth Cooper will highlight key themes from their...
Deep Dive Episode 89 – The New DOJ-USPTO-NIST Policy Statement on Remedies for Infringement of Standard-Essential Patents
David Jones, Adam Mossoff, Kristen Osenga, Brad Watts
Regulatory Transparency Project Event Podcast
In December 2019, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and the...
Litigation Update: FTC v. Qualcomm
F. Scott Kieff, Kristen Osenga
In January 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an antitrust complaint against Qualcomm in...
Trade Secrets Litigation: Do Damages Awarded in Texas Case Have Broader Ramifications?
Ashley Baker, Curt Levey
Intellectual property (IP) theft has taken an increasingly prominent place in the news as various...
Courthouse Steps Oral Argument Teleforum: Thryv, Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP
Robert J. Rando
In Thryv, Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP (originally Dex Media Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP),...
The Future of Telecommunications Law and Policy
Jeffrey Blum, Jeffrey Eisenach, Angie Kronenberg, Giulia McHenry, Jeffrey S. Sutton, Bryan N. Tramont, Brendan Carr
2019 National Lawyers Convention
On November 15, 2019, the Federalist Society's Telecommunications & Electronic Media Practice Group hosted a...
The Future of Telecommunications Law and Policy
Jeffrey Blum, Jeffrey Eisenach, Angie Kronenberg, Giulia McHenry, Jeffrey S. Sutton, Bryan N. Tramont, Brendan Carr
2019 National Lawyers Convention
On November 15, 2019, the Federalist Society's Telecommunications & Electronic Media Practice Group hosted a...
Originalism and Changes in Technology
Anthony J. Dick, John F. Duffy, Richard A. Epstein, Ryan T. Holte, F. Scott Kieff, Mark F. Schultz
2019 National Lawyers Convention
On November 14, 2019, the Federalist Society's Intellectual Property Practice Group hosted a panel for...
Originalism and Changes in Technology
Anthony J. Dick, John F. Duffy, Richard A. Epstein, Ryan T. Holte, F. Scott Kieff, Mark F. Schultz
2019 National Lawyers Convention
On November 14, 2019, the Federalist Society's Intellectual Property Practice Group hosted a panel for...