We hear the same complaints over and over every time Congress tries to improve the patent system. In fact, we’ve been hearing some of them for over 70 years.
Here’s a little quiz to illustrate the point. I’ve listed some statements on the left and years on the right. See if you can match up the statement with the year it appeared! (Answers below.)
| a. They’ve been chiseling away piece by piece from the rights that the small inventor had to profit from an invention. | 1942 |
| b. The inventor today, regardless of the merit of his work … finds little opportunity to realize on his efforts. | 1967 |
| c. Inventors and patent lawyers have commented that the bill … favors the big corporation and curtails the rights of the inventor … | 1995 |
| d. Now is not the time for Congress to introduce uncertainty by threatening to make changes to the patent system that will reduce incentives for innovation—particularly since there is little evidence that the patent system is fatally flawed. | 2008 |
| e. Add it all up, and it is clear that the new Patent “Reform” bill is a big attack on the constitutional property rights of individual inventors and small enterprises. | 2015 |
[sections collapse=”always”] [section title=”Answers”]
a. 1995
b. 1942
c. 1967
d. 2015
e. 2008
[/section] [/sections]
How did you do?