Innovation Alliance Statement on Reintroduction of Bipartisan STRONGER Patents Act
Legislation Would Strengthen Patent Protections and Promote American Innovation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Innovation Alliance Executive Director Brian Pomper today issued the following statement on the reintroduction of the bipartisan STRONGER Patents Act in the Senate and House of Representatives by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Representative Steve Stivers (R-OH) and other co-sponsors:
“The Innovation Alliance commends Senator Coons, Representative Stivers and other co-sponsors for reintroducing the bipartisan STRONGER Patents Act in the Senate and House of Representatives. We are pleased to see the support for this legislation on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress.
“The STRONGER Patents Act takes critical steps to strengthen patent protections and promote American innovation and job creation. Importantly, it would help to reverse the alarming decline of the U.S. patent system and innovation economy we have seen in recent years.
“A decade of harmful congressional actions and court decisions have weakened American patent rights, abandoned small inventors and undermined U.S. innovation. And as the U.S. has curtailed patent protections, foreign competitors, including China, have strengthened theirs. This has put us at a competitive disadvantage and led to venture capital investment and innovation increasingly moving overseas.
“After falling to 12th place in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s international ranking of patent system strength in 2018, the U.S. bounced back to 2nd place this year as a result of administrative actions taken by USPTO Director Iancu designed to improve the predictability and reliability of the U.S. patent system. However, legislative action is still needed to cement those changes into law and further strengthen patent rights. We can’t afford to leave our nation’s innovation infrastructure to the mercy of individual executive branch measures that are easily reversible as administrations and political winds change.
“The STRONGER Patents Act would help ensure that patent rights are protected as a fundamental underpinning of our innovation economy. It treats patents like any other property and permits injunctions to protect patent owners against infringement during and after court cases. It ensures fairness in Patent Office administrative proceedings, limiting repetitive and harassing challenges against inventors. And it ends the diversion of patent application fees to other government spending, providing the Patent Office with the funding it needs to grant high-quality patents without harmful delay.
“This legislation will maintain our patent system’s role as an engine for U.S. economic growth and job creation, as it has done for more than 200 years. The Innovation Alliance urges the Senate and House to pass the STRONGER Patents Act as soon as possible.”
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ABOUT THE INNOVATION ALLIANCE
The Innovation Alliance represents innovators, patent owners and stakeholders from a diverse range of industries that believe in the critical importance of maintaining a strong patent system that supports innovative enterprises of all sizes. Innovation Alliance members can be found in large and small communities across the country, helping to fuel the innovation pipeline and drive the 21st century economy. Learn more at www.innovationalliance.net.