Other Group

Conservatives for Property Rights (CPR)

Type:

Coalition of Conservative and Libertarian Groups

Formation:

2017

Founder:

James Edwards

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Conservatives for Property Rights (CPR) is a coalition of conservative and libertarian groups advocating for private property rights. 1 It was founded in 2017 by James Edwards, a former Republican Capitol Hill staffer. 2

The organization has lobbied for patent and copyright protections with Congress and federal agencies and has also bought ads favoring the preservation of the Senate filibuster and opposing a Biden administration proposal to impose price controls on pharmaceuticals. 3 4 5

Background

Conservatives for Property Rights is a coalition that contends property rights are divinely endowed to human beings and are essential to free enterprise, and new discoveries. The organization says it aims to represent a unified conservative voice for physical, personal, and intellectual property as an unalienable right. 6

The group’s coalition members are the American Business Defense Council, the American Conservative Union, the American Policy Center, Americans for Limited Government, the Association of Mature American Citizens, the Center for American Principles, the Center for a Free Economy, the Center for Individual Freedom, the Committee for Justice, the Conservative Political Action Coalition, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund, Family PAC Federal, Frontiers of Freedom, Less Government, Let Freedom Ring, Market Institute, Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, 60 Plus, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund, Tradition Family Property, the U.S. Business and Industry Council, Victory Coalition Strategies, and Vote America First​. 7

James Edwards founded Conservatives for Property Rights in 2017. 8

Conservatives for Property Rights argues property rights emerged from the English and Scottish Enlightenment and Reformation thinkers, such as John Locke and Samuel Rutherford, and are consistent with the views of most Founding Fathers of the United States, chiefly former President and “father of the Constitution” James Madison. 9

Leadership

James Edwards is the founder and executive director of Conservatives for Property Rights. Edwards is patent policy advisor for the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund. He is the federal affairs manager with the Committee for Justice. Edwards has been a commentator on patent issues for IPWatchdog.com. He authored a report, “Property Rights: The Key to National Wealth and National Security.” He is the co-author of “The Congressional Politics of Immigration Reform” with University of Maryland Professor James Gimpel. He was previously a staffer for former U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC), the legislative director for former U.S. Rep. Ed Bryant (R-TN), and handled legislative and press duties for former U.S. Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-TN). 10

Edwards contends that for three decades, Congress, the courts and the administrative state bureaucracies have chipped away at the U.S. patent system and private property rights. He argues this weakens the United States in global competitiveness particularly when China has expropriated American innovations, patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and other intellectual property. 11

Public Policy

Conservatives for Property Rights has advocated on copyright, patent, and trademark issues; energy and nuclear power issues; health issues; labor issues; antitrust issues; and real estate and land use. It has lobbied the Executive Office of the President; the House and Senate; Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; the U.S. International Trade Commission; and other federal agencies. 12 13

In February 2018, Executive Director James Edwards published a white paper entitled “Property Rights: The Key to National Wealth and National Security.” He launched the paper at a Capitol Hill briefing that featured remarks by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). 14

In 2020, Conservatives for Property Rights joined other right-of-center organizations to form the Alliance on Antitrust to oppose a growing bipartisan consensus that government should do more to regulate Big Tech companies. Other groups in the alliance included the Committee for Justice, National Taxpayers Union, the American Legislative Exchange Council, FreedomWorks, Innovation Defense Foundation, Citizens Against Government Waste, Institute for Policy Innovation, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, and Digital Liberty. 15

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, CPR opposed a measure from congressional Democrats to temporarily suspend patents for the biomedical industry to prevent one company from exclusively holding a patent. 16

In January 2021, CPR joined a coalition of 26 right-of-center organizations in a letter urging the Senate to keep the filibuster. 17 CPR reportedly spent at least $100,000 to preserve the filibuster because “procedural matters are an aspect of property rights,” Edwards said. He added, “These include governmental procedures that ensure republican, due process, and similar guardrails that protect citizens. Separation of powers, essential differences between the two houses of Congress, etc. are part of that.” 18

The organization strongly opposed an effort by India and South Africa in the World Trade Organization to wave international agreements on intellectual property rights for any COVID-19 related inventions. 19

Conservatives for Property Rights also ran ads opposed to drug pricing regulations in 2021. 20

The organization filed an amicus brief in the 2022 Supreme Court case of Sackett v. EPA regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s scope in regulating wetlands under the Clean Water Act. 21

CPR signed onto a statement with more than 100 other right-of-center organizations in August 2022 opposing President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14008 on “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” that directs the Department of Interior “to achieve the goal of conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” 22

Conservatives for Property Rights led a coalition letter in May 2024 with other right-of-center groups supporting bills in Congress, the Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership (PREVAIL) Act and the Patent Eligibility Restoration (PERA) Act to reform and streamline the patent system, and the rules for the federal Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The coalition on the letter included Americans for Tax Reform, Tea Party Patriots Action, and the Center for Individual Freedom. 23

In March 2024, the organization endorsed the Republican Study Committee’s proposed Countering Communist China Act, claiming that China “can freely break the rules, conduct espionage and plunder American private property—particularly intellectual property.” The bill reins in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board from “serving as a weapon for Chinese and Big Tech’s repeated attempts to invalidate patents,” Edwards said. 24

References

  1. “About Us.” Conservatives for Property Rights. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.property-rts.org/about-us
  2. “James Edwards.” Federalist Society. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://fedsoc.org/contributors/james-edwards-8
  3. “Conservatives for Property Rights.” Open Secrets. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/issues?cycle=2024&id=D000100020
  4. Lacy, Akela. “Conservative Lobby Groups Prevail as Senate Keeps the Filibuster.” Intercept. January 21 2022. Accessed May 18, 2024. https://theintercept.com/2022/01/21/voting-rights-filibuster-senate-conservative-lobbying/
  5. Lacy, Akela. “Conservative Dark Money Groups Push Deceptive Ads Against Biden’s Agenda.” Intercept. October 15, 2021. Accessed May 18, 2024. https://theintercept.com/2021/10/15/conservative-dark-money-ads-biden-build-back-better/
  6.  “About Us.” Conservatives for Property Rights. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.property-rts.org/about-us
  7. “About Us.” Conservatives for Property Rights. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.property-rts.org/about-us
  8. “James Edwards.” Federalist Society. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://fedsoc.org/contributors/james-edwards-8
  9. “About Property Rights.” Conservatives for Property Rights. Accessed May 17, 2024.  https://www.property-rts.org/about-property-rights
  10. “James Edwards.” Federalist Society. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://fedsoc.org/contributors/james-edwards-8
  11. Edwards, James. “First Steps Toward STRONGER Patent Rights.” Conservative for Property Rights. October 1, 2019. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.property-rts.org/post/first-steps-toward-stronger-patent-rights
  12. “Conservatives for Property Rights.” Open Secrets. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/issues?cycle=2024&id=D000100020
  13. “Conservatives for Property Rights.” Pro Publica. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/lobbying/300926280
  14. Hartline, Devlin. “New White Paper Explores the Importance of Property Rights to National Wealth and Security.” George Mason University Center for Intellectual Property. February 28, 2018. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://cip2.gmu.edu/2018/02/28/new-white-paper-explores-the-importance-of-property-rights-to-national-wealth-and-security/
  15. Gold, Ashley. “Conservatives aim to cool GOP’s newfound antitrust fervor.” Axios. July 29, 2020. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.axios.com/2020/07/29/conservatives-aim-to-cool-gops-newfound-antitrust-fervor
  16.  CFIF Staff. “Coalition Urges Against Denying Patents, Exclusivity and Property Rights to Biomedical Innovators.” Center for Individual Freedom. May 8, 2020. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://cfif.org/v/index.php/commentary/56-health-care/5005-coalition-urges-against-denying-patents-exclusivity-and-property-rights-to-biomedical-innovators-
  17. Press Release. “TPA Leads Coalition Letter Opposing the Abolition of the Filibuster.” Protecting Taxpayers. January 25, 2021. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.protectingtaxpayers.org/senate/tpa-leads-coalition-letter-opposing-the-abolition-of-the-filibuster/
  18. Lacy, Akela. “Conservative Lobby Groups Prevail as Senate Keeps the Filibuster.” Intercept. January 21 2022. Accessed May 18, 2024. https://theintercept.com/2022/01/21/voting-rights-filibuster-senate-conservative-lobbying/
  19. Edwards, James. “Shakedown attempt at WTO is a threat to US intellectual property.” Post and Courier. April 15, 2021. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.postandcourier.com/opinion/commentary/commentary-shakedown-attempt-at-wto-is-a-threat-to-us-intellectual-property/article_da520dc6-9d38-11eb-9bbf-abb89d6f3681.html
  20. Lacy, Akela. “Conservative Dark Money Groups Push Deceptive Ads Against Biden’s Agenda.” Intercept. October 15, 2021. Accessed May 18, 2024. https://theintercept.com/2021/10/15/conservative-dark-money-ads-biden-build-back-better/
  21. Gillard, Paige. “States, congressmen, farmers, and builders file amicus briefs in support of the Sacketts.” Pacific Legal Foundation. September 23, 2022. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://pacificlegal.org/amicus-briefs-sackett-v-epa/
  22. “Conservatives Oppose Biden’s “30 X 30” Federal Land Grab.” Conservatives Action Project. August 31, 2022. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://conservativeactionproject.com/conservatives-oppose-bidens-30-x-30-federal-land-grab/
  23. Letter to Chairman Chris Coons and Ranking Member Thom Tillis of the Senate Intellectual Property Subcommittee. Conservatives for Property Rights. May 2024. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://www.property-rts.org/_files/ugd/651e0c_89a35de0f6da4b8687508b2e909f4e09.pdf
  24. Press Release. “Curtis and conservative allies introduce legislative package on China.” Utah Policy. March 6, 2024. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://utahpolicy.com/news-release/70206-curtis-and-conservative-allies-introduce-legislative-package-on-china
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