David Kappos, co-chair for the Council for Innovation Promotion, C4IP, explained the group releases what they call a Congressional Innovation Scorecard, where they look at everything congressional members say or do relating to intellectual property.

Kappos said he sees opportunity right now though, that Pennsylvania can shine when it comes to innovation.

He also explained that a key reason why C4IP put the report together is to highlight how important it is to fight back against countries like China who continue to steal from the United States.

In response to the grade, Senator John Fetterman told Erie News Now in a statement:

"I'm focused on promoting innovation by ensuring all creators are secure in their intellectual property rights, not just the biggest patent holders. I'll continue working to create an IP system that secures American leadership and protects innovators of all sizes."

The full analysis can be found here:

https://c4ip.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/C4IP-Congressional-Innovation-Scorecard-Edition-2.pdf