America Invests Act

Floor Speech

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1249, which will help America maintain its distinction as the most innovative country in the world. For too long, independent inventors, small businesses, and America's leading universities and technology companies have been mired in a convoluted patent process that has stifled innovation and job creation. H.R. 1249 streamlines and clarifies the patent process, giving inventors and investors the certainty they need to expand their businesses and grow the economy.

This legislation also gives the United States Patent and Trademark Office the tools it needs to process the hundreds of thousands of applications it receives every year, increasing their ability to adjust its fees to reflect the actual costs of the services it provides, to fast-track patent applications, and to expand opportunities for post-grant review of patents. I remain deeply concerned that, under the manager's amendment, the Patent and Trademark Office will have fewer resources to pursue these objectives, a change which risks squandering the very opportunities created by the remainder of the legislation.

Innovative stakeholders in my district have voiced concerns that the legislation's expansion of the defense of ``prior user rights'' will weaken their ability to protect their patentable innovations and give rise to widespread trade secret litigation, particularly for those areas of research the blend federal investment and private investment. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure these concerns are addressed, so that America's finest universities and research centers can continue their role as global leaders of innovation.

H.R. 1249 is a strong step toward protecting the administration of our system of intellectual property rights. This is a worthy bipartisan accomplishment. I am concerned that some of my colleagues have championed this bill as the ultimate job-creator and that once it passes, they will forget about the millions of Americans that are still struggling to find work. Patent reform is important, but what out-of-work Americans need most are jobs. I urge my colleagues to build on this bipartisan momentum and work together to rebuild and renew America's infrastructure, the most efficient way to create jobs and strengthen our economy.

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