Qualcomm Corporate Responsibility Report 2023: Public Policy and Regulation

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 23, 2024 / Qualcomm:

Originally published in Qualcomm’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

We have been a committed partner to countries around the world for over 30 years, supporting policies that encourage innovation, support technology development and create business-friendly environments around the world. With each new generation of wireless connectivity, we strive to achieve shared success in partnership with legislators and regulators, and create new opportunities for local industry and communities.

We implement our approach to public policy around four key principles:

Participation: We engage in policy discussions with governments, organizations and industries around the world to advocate for policies that promote innovation and protect and support new connectivity ideas. We are committed to helping decision-makers at all levels understand our business model and role as an ecosystem enabler.
Responsible management: We comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding political contributions and expenditures, and our contributions are subject to approval by our senior management team under the supervision of the Management Committee of our Board of Directors.
Transparency: We publicly disclose to the Federal Election Commission all political contributions made by our Company and our Political Action Committee, and we comply with all legal obligations under the FCPA and similar laws around the world.
Policy Guides: We are closely monitoring and assessing developments that impact the world of communications. Our key public policy topics are 5G, inventions and intellectual property, spectrum, privacy, immigration and tax. Our general position is described below and published on our public policy website.

Key topics of public policy

5G: 5G is a unified connectivity fabric that we believe will continue to transform industries, create jobs and drive an estimated $13.1 trillion in global sales by 2035.17 To realize these benefits, we believe governments must continue to adopt policies to support a comprehensive 5G rollout plan .
Invention and IP: Invention, innovation and intellectual property protection are the main drivers of economic growth and competitiveness. Without strong patent systems and strong global intellectual property protection, innovation would be significantly weakened.
Spectrum: The benefits of wireless connectivity depend on the availability of adequate and appropriate radio spectrum. We believe in unleashing new spectrum in a responsible manner to meet the demands of consumers and businesses.
Privacy: We believe that building consumer trust based on security and privacy practices helps drive broader adoption and more personalized wireless technology offerings.
Immigration: Highly skilled talent, especially in the areas of mathematics, engineering and science, is critical to the success of our company and the future of technological innovation around the world.
Taxation: We support policies that encourage innovation and enable U.S. technology companies to compete in today’s global marketplace.
Environmental Sustainability: Our technologies, our business model and our role as drivers of technological transformation can support communities, governments and other stakeholders in moving towards a more sustainable future.

Our public policy position on climate change and environmental sustainability, published in 2023, can be found on our public policy website. We believe that environmental sustainability is a social imperative. Protecting and conserving natural resources and global ecosystems brings significant social and environmental benefits to current and future generations. These benefits require collective action and leadership from corporate citizens.

Our global tax strategy underscores our commitment to being a responsible and transparent corporate citizen. Our approach to tax is consistent with our CoBC and Code of Ethics and is based on compliance with applicable tax laws, maximizing shareholder value and ensuring transparency in reporting and disclosure of tax information. We also strive to pay required taxes on profits generated from our activities in each jurisdiction.

“We want to help decision-makers at all levels understand our business model and role as an ecosystem enabler.”

Executing our business strategy requires specialized engineering and other talent because our revenues are highly dependent on technological and product innovation. To attract the best talent, we must be able to employ the best engineers, regardless of their country of origin. In addition to fierce competition for talent throughout our industry and with our competitors, existing immigration laws make it difficult for us to recruit and retain highly qualified foreign nationals, further reducing the pool of available talent.

We engage in public policy activities aimed at supporting regulations adapted to contemporary economic reality. Our government affairs team participates in a variety of advocacy activities that contribute to immigration laws that support our company’s ability to develop cutting-edge technologies and, more generally, our global innovation economy. Our global immigration and workforce recruitment advocacy efforts are typically accomplished through partnerships with industry associations and various employer coalitions. More information about our approach to managing a diverse, highly skilled workforce can be found in our SASB Index.

Fostering a more accessible patent ecosystem for all

Our belief that the U.S. patent system should reflect the diversity of this country is stronger than ever. We know that diversifying the entities producing inventions and patents can create more jobs, boost the national economy, close wage and wealth gaps, and enable the United States to remain a global leader in innovation. We actively work within our company and externally to create equal opportunities for all.

Last year, we announced, in cooperation with Invent Together, the launch of the Inventor’s Patent Academy (TIPA). TIPA is a free, mobile-friendly course that guides inventors through the process of protecting their inventions through patenting. The e-learning course prepares innovators to apply for their own patents by offering practical advice on overcoming obstacles and navigating the system. It also includes real-life stories about inventors and how they overcame challenges and brought their ideas to life. Gives inventors a solid understanding of patent law and the patent application process.

Since its launch, TIPA has already reached nearly 1,400 students. Two-thirds of these students participated in an optional survey designed to help TIPA better understand participant profile and satisfaction. About three-quarters of survey respondents highlighted their URM background, and more than 40 percent were women, 70 percent of whom were women of color. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Expedited First-time Applicant Examination Pilot Program uses TIPA as a learning resource. Students come from all sectors of the economy, including government, higher education, startups and accelerators, and private corporations. Almost a quarter are individual inventors. We are proud of this strong start and intend to continue to reach our target audience as we recruit more students.

At Qualcomm, we have used diversity-oriented employee resources, ensuring, among others: a new series of workshops for inventors titled “Cultivating Innovation”. These workshops were the result of cooperation between our IP, Government Affairs Department and the employee network, and their goal was to increase the diversity of innovations in the Company. As part of this series, we organized 16 events, including workshops with TIPA. More than 90 percent of participants agreed that the training materials on systemic barriers to patents and the content of patent law were useful and relevant. Given the positive feedback and large engineering population, we are looking at ways to expand the course offering within the company.

We appreciate recruitment assistance from Invent Together partner organizations such as AnitaB.org, Society of Women Engineers, and the Native American Intellectual Property Enterprise Council. We are equally grateful that the USPTO has linked to TIPA on its website, presenting it as a resource for the new USPTO First-Time Filer Accelerated Examination Pilot Program.

Last year we also implemented updates and improvements to the online course content. For example, we have incorporated user feedback and now provide improved smartphone support, updated voice narration, learning pods, improved accessibility, and additional resources for inventors, including information about the patent pro bono program. TIPA enhancements and updates will deepen our company’s commitment to making the invention and patenting process accessible to all. We strongly believe that providing inventors with strong patent rights will enable them to transform the world for the benefit of all.

Learn more about how Qualcomm drives innovation, social progress and sustainability in the 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

View additional media and more ESG stories from Qualcomm at 3blmedia.com.

Contact info:

Spokesperson: Qualcomm
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/qualcomm
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE: Qualcomm

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