The Hill Opinion: A simple way to make America even greater is fixing our patent system
This post originally appeared in The Hill on November 17, 2017.
A relatively simple way to boost the economy and make America even greater is to fix a patent system gone awry. In recent years, major changes to intellectual property policy by Congress, the courts and the executive branch have thrown the system out of whack, deterring inventors from the kind of innovation that creates jobs and growth.
A patent is an exclusive right to an invention, granted by a government for a specific term and is a property right. Patents let inventors profit from their investments and their sweat, and, by providing an incentive to innovate, they help all of society. It’s no accident that patents were enshrined in the Article I of the Constitution. The Founders understood that patent law helps “to promote the progress of science and useful arts” for all Americans.