Real Clear Policy Opinion: Patents — Constitutionally Protected, Economically Vital, by Alden Abbott
This post originally appeared in Real Clear Politics on July 12, 2016.
Since its founding, America has embraced and protected innovation and creativity. And it has proved to be a major economic advantage. But despite this, American patent rights are increasingly under attack, often because of commercial self-interest or a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and importance of intellectual property.
America’s leading role in innovation results directly from our historical respect for intellectual property (IP) rights — exclusive rights granted to inventors, writers, and artists to exploit their discoveries and creative works. Most of the great 19th century American inventions and the industries to which they gave rise were associated with patents — from Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone to Charles Goodyear’s process for vulcanized rubber.