Providing Consideration of H.R. 3309, Innovation Act; and Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1105, Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act
Floor Speech
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise reluctantly to favor the rule because it makes an extremely important amendment, my own and several others, it approves them to come on the floor; but I oppose final passage because even with those amendments, they do not do enough to make this bill worth supporting.
One of the most important amendments is my amendment, as I stated, which would strike the section of this legislation which eliminates for the small inventor, for the independent inventor, the right of judicial review if his case is being mishandled by the patent system. And let me just note that if, indeed, this was to protect, if we were going to protect the little guy, if that was the purpose of this bill, there wouldn't be a question here. But here we are eliminating the little guy's right to even go to court if he is being mistreated by the patent system.
Also, an amendment not made in order was Marcy Kaptur's amendment which would have, again, protected the little guy. We are being told this protects the little guy; yet they won't allow Marcy Kaptur's amendment, which is aimed at protecting the little guy, from even coming to a vote.
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Mr. ROHRABACHER. We hear over and over again that this is about patent trolls and hinting that there are illegitimate patents that we are talking about. We are talking about legitimate patents; and the patent troll, let us just note, who is he going against supposedly, it is multinational mega--mega--corporations that routinely infringe on the little guy. Yet Marcy Kaptur, while trying to protect the rights of the little guy against these giant corporations--like Google--instead, we have not permitted her amendment to come forward.
This is the greatest attack, this bill, on the small inventor that I have ever seen in 25 years. I ask support for the rule, but oppose the bill itself.
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