I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8356 

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a task force 

on deterring and combating intellectual property theft by foreign nations 

at institutions of higher education and to require such institutions to 

have in place procedures and protocols to deter and combat such theft, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish 

a task force on deterring and combating intellectual 

property theft by foreign nations at institutions of higher 

education and to require such institutions to have in 

place procedures and protocols to deter and combat such 

theft, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Combatting University 

5 Research Theft Act of 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE; CERTIFICATION 

2 REQUIREMENT. 

3 (a) TASK FORCE.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

5 the date of the enactment of this section, the Sec6 retary of Homeland Security, acting through the Di7 rector of the National Intellectual Property Rights 

8 Coordination Center, shall establish a task force 

9 within the National Intellectual Property Rights Co10 ordination Center to develop best practices for insti11 tutions of higher education receiving funding for ap12 plicable research from the Federal Government for 

13 implementing security procedures and protocols that 

14 deter and combat theft of intellectual property. 

15 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

16 establishment of the task force under paragraph (1), 

17 the Director of the National Intellectual Property 

18 Rights Coordination Center shall submit to institu19 tions of higher education and Congress a report on 

20 the best practices developed by the task force under 

21 subsection (a). 

22 (b) CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.—Each entity of 

23 the Federal Government that provides after the date of 

24 the enactment of this section funds to an institution of 

25 higher education for applicable research shall, as a condi26 tion of providing such funds, require such institution to 


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1 certify to such entity that the institution has procedures 

2 and protocols in place to deter and combat theft of intel3 lectual property by foreign nations or agents. 

4 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) APPLICABLE RESEARCH.—The term ‘‘appli6 cable research’’ means research determined by the 

7 Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights 

8 Coordination Center to be applicable. 

9 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

10 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

11 meaning given such term in section 101 of the High12 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

Æ 


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