From the Alliance


Mar. 12, 2015

Innovation Alliance Blog Post: 24 Conservative Organizations Send Letter Expressing Opposition to H.R. 9

Twenty-four conservative organizations sent a letter to Congressional leadership today expressing opposition to H.R. 9, the so-called “Innovation Act.” The letter stated:

While sponsors and proponents of this legislation claim it is designed to curb abusive tactics in patent litigation, the bill would in fact increase litigation at the expense of innocent inventors. The bill’s overly broad provisions apply to all litigants seeking to assert patents, not just “patent trolls,” and as a result will severely undercut the ability of inventors to enforce their intellectual property rights, ultimately devaluing patents, stifling American innovation, and diminishing our global competitiveness. This bill is the intellectual property infringer’s best friend.

Of further concern is the reason this bill is being catapulted forward. Some companies need to use others’ patents in their products, and they want to pay as little as possible for the right to these patented inventions. While that may make good business sense for them, it makes no sense for America, if lowering the licensing costs of a patent come by way of patent infringement, piracy, unfair competitive practices, artificially devaluing a patent, or reducing the ability to defend one’s patent through our legal system. China is already eating our lunch, stealing our patented inventions and harassing American companies with Chinese facilities. Why would we want to willingly give up the competitive edge we enjoy in incentivizing innovation through the strongest IP regime in the world? Surrendering our innovation advantage to China makes absolutely no sense.

The organizations conclude the letter by urging Congress to “use a scalpel, not a cleaver, in addressing patent revision legislation.”
Signees of the letter include the Eagle Forum, the American Conservative Union, Club for Growth, the U.S. Business and Industry Council, Entrepreneurs for Growth, American Majority, and the American Civil Rights Union, among others.

Read the full letter here