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Innovation Files Blog

Innovation Files Blog

Quick takes, quips, and commentary on the latest in tech policy.

October 6, 2026

European Courts Set a Dangerous Precedent for Platform Liability

A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads based on how its algorithms rank content, potentially expanding platform liability under the EU’s Digital Services Act. Instead of discouraging platforms from using these algorithms, policymakers should preserve knowledge-based liability protections and focus enforcement on the fraudsters responsible for scam ads.

October 5, 2026

Fact of the Week: AI Infrastructure Could Draw $10.3 Trillion in U.S. Investment Through 2032

The United States could pour an estimated $10.3 trillion into the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence between 2025 and 2032.

October 2, 2026

Developing Safety Standards Is Not Inherently Anticompetitive

Developing common AI safety standards does not, by itself, undermine competition. Policymakers should not force companies to choose between competing vigorously and working together to prevent serious safety risks. Antitrust law should allow both.

September 30, 2026

Break the Pirates: Congress Should Allow Courts to Block Foreign Pirate Websites

Foreign online piracy causes significant economic harm to U.S. creative industries, yet American courts lack the authority to block foreign pirate sites. Congress should adopt carefully designed site-blocking legislation that targets large-scale piracy while minimizing the risk of overblocking.

September 28, 2026

Fact of the Week: Bayh-Dole-enabled Technology Transfer Has Contributed Up to $1.7T to US GDP Since 1996

Between 1996 and 2025, Bayh-Dole-enabled technology transfer from university and nonprofit research benefiting from federal funding contributed as much as $3.3 trillion to U.S. gross economic output, $1.7 trillion to gross domestic product, and 7.6 million job-years of employment.

September 22, 2026

Congress Should Make the CHIPS Act’s Investment Tax Credit Permanent

The United States needs a strong domestic semiconductor manufacturing base to support economic growth, strengthen supply chains, and remain globally competitive. To sustain investment in new U.S. semiconductor facilities, policymakers should make the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit permanent.

September 21, 2026

Fact of the Week: Chinese Firms Receive Three to Eight Times More Government Support Than OECD-Based Firms

Between 2005 and 2024, Chinese firms received, on average, three to eight times more government support than firms based in OECD economies, even while using conservative estimates.

September 14, 2026

Chairman Carr’s Defense of Broadcast Content Regulation Draws Historical Distinctions Without Legal Differences

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr argues that broadcast content regulation is justified by the government’s role in allocating scarce spectrum. But the historical and technical distinctions he draws between broadcasting and other media do not justify subjecting broadcast speech to lesser First Amendment protection.

September 14, 2026

Fact of the Week: H-1B Immigration Raised Native Non-STEM Workers’ Incomes by About 15 Percent in Computer Systems Design

A 1 percentage point increase in an industry’s exposure to H-1B workers raises the long-run income of college-educated native workers in non-STEM occupations by about a 1.21 percent increase. In Computer Systems Design, the industry most exposed to H-1B immigration, this translates into an approximately 15 percent increase in long-run income for native non-STEM workers.

September 9, 2026

Two Truths and a Lie About the U.S.–Canada Trade Breakdown

As U.S.-Canada trade tensions escalate, both countries risk weakening the North American production base they need to compete with China—and turning a manageable dispute into a costly, self-defeating trade war.

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