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TITLE II. Mandatory Credit and Attribution

SEC. 201. Universal Attribution Requirement

(a) GENERAL RULE: Any person, entity, or government agency that uses an innovation developed by others shall provide clear, prominent, and accurate credit to the originators.

(b) FORMS OF ATTRIBUTION: Credit shall include, at a minimum:

  1. Name(s) of Originator(s): Individual inventors, communities, and nations
  2. Place of Origin: Geographic location where innovation was developed
  3. Timeline: When innovation was developed (year or era)
  4. Context: Cultural, social, or scientific context of development (where relevant)

(c) WHERE ATTRIBUTION REQUIRED: Credit must appear in:

  1. All public communications (websites, reports, and marketing materials)
  2. Legislation and regulations
  3. Product packaging and labeling
  4. Academic publications and patents
  5. Educational materials
  6. Media appearances and press releases
  7. Grant applications and funding proposals

(d) LANGUAGE STANDARDS:

Mandatory Phrasing:

  • "Developed by [Name/Community], [Location], [Year/Era]"
  • "Based on the innovation of [Originator]"
  • "Adapted from techniques pioneered by [Community/Nation]"

Prohibited Phrasing:

  • "Discovered by" (implies originators didn't know their own knowledge)
  • "We invented" (when adapting others' work)
  • Passive voice that erases originators ("This technique..." without attribution)

(e) HISTORICAL CONTEXT REQUIREMENT: For innovations with contested or erased histories (e.g., Black inventors under Jim Crow, Indigenous knowledge during colonization), attribution must include:

  1. Acknowledgment of historical oppression
  2. Explanation of why credit was delayed or denied
  3. Statement of redress being undertaken

Example: "The traffic signal was invented by Garrett Morgan, a Black inventor, in 1923. Mr. Morgan's contribution was systematically minimized due to racism and segregation. This belated recognition is part of our commitment to epistemic justice."

SEC. 202. Federal Funding Contingent on Attribution

(a) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENT: No federal support shall be provided to any company, startup, initiative, university, research institution, or individual unless they:

  1. Identify all innovations used in their work
  2. Provide proper attribution to originators
  3. Demonstrate compliance with this Act

(b) APPLICATION PROCESS:

Innovation Attribution Statement (Required in All Federal Applications):

Applicants must submit a sworn statement listing:

  1. All Innovations Used: Techniques, methods, processes, and knowledge
  2. Originators: Names, communities, and nations
  3. Attribution Plan: How credit will be provided (specific language, placement)
  4. Benefit-Sharing Agreements (if applicable): Compensation arrangements with originators

(c) REVIEW BY INNOVATION JUSTICE COUNCIL:

  • Council reviews all applications for completeness and accuracy
  • Applications with inadequate attribution are REJECTED
  • Applicants have 30 days to correct and resubmit

(d) ONGOING COMPLIANCE:

  • Recipients of federal support must submit annual compliance reports
  • Failure to maintain attribution = immediate termination of funding + repayment of all funds received + penalties (see Sec. 501)

(e) NO EXCEPTIONS: This requirement applies to:

  • Scientific research grants (NIH, NSF, DOE, etc.)
  • Business subsidies and tax credits
  • Defense contracts
  • Agricultural programs
  • Any federal support whatsoever

Rationale: If you take public money, then you follow public values. Attribution is non-negotiable.

SEC. 203. Corporate Attribution Requirements

(a) PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES: All corporations registered on US stock exchanges must:

  1. Annual Innovation Report: Disclose all innovations used in products/services, with full attribution to originators
  2. Consumer-facing attribution: Product packaging, websites, and advertising must credit originators
  3. Investor disclosures: SEC filings must include Innovation Attribution Statement

(b) PRIVATE COMPANIES OVER $10M REVENUE: Must comply with subsection (a) reporting requirements

(c) STARTUPS SEEKING VENTURE CAPITAL: VCs that receive federal support (e.g., SBIR/STTR programs, pension fund investments) may only invest in startups that comply with attribution requirements

(d) PENALTIES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE: See Title V (Enforcement)

SEC. 204. Academic Attribution Requirements

(a) UNIVERSITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FUNDING: Must require all faculty, students, and researchers to:

  1. Credit all sources of knowledge (including traditional knowledge, not just academic citations)
  2. Obtain prior informed consent before researching traditional knowledge
  3. Include attribution in all publications, presentations, and patents

(b) TENURE AND PROMOTION: Universities must consider epistemic justice in evaluations:

  • Credit-sharing with collaborators (not just first authorship)
  • Community engagement and benefit-sharing
  • Decolonization of research practices

(c) CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS: Universities must:

  1. Teach the history of intellectual imperialism (biopiracy, erasure of BIPOC/women/queer inventors)
  2. Include innovators from marginalized communities in all relevant coursework
  3. Develop courses on epistemic justice, traditional knowledge, innovation commons

(d) REVOCATION OF PROBLEMATIC PATENTS: Universities must review all patents for:

  • Biopiracy (traditional knowledge without consent)
  • Erasure (graduate students, lab technicians not credited)
  • Imperialism (research on Global South/Indigenous communities without benefit-sharing)

Problematic Patents MUST Be: Voluntarily released to public domain OR renegotiated with fair benefit-sharing

SEC. 205. Government Attribution Requirements

(a) FEDERAL AGENCIES: All agencies must:

  1. Audit programs for un-attributed innovations
  2. Provide credit in all public materials
  3. Allocate 1% of program budgets to Innovation Justice compliance

(b) LEGISLATION: All bills introduced in Congress must include "Innovation Attribution Statement" if they reference techniques, methods, or knowledge developed by others

Example: "This bill's sponge city framework is based on the work of Kongjian Yu and Turenscape (China, 2015-present), implemented in 30+ Chinese cities with proven flood reduction of 30-50%."

(c) EXECUTIVE ORDERS & REGULATIONS: Same requirement as subsection (b)

(d) FEDERAL WEBSITES: USA.gov and all agency sites must include:

  • "Innovation Justice" page explaining this Act
  • Searchable database of attributed innovations
  • Links to originators' websites/profiles (where available)