Our Founding Fathers were inspired by one of the greatest minds in history. John Locke’s thoughts and ideas led to the creation of many of the tenets that make the United States of America one of the greatest countries and the greatest economic engine in history.
Life, liberty and property were the basis of Locke’s beliefs. One of the most important protections afforded to the American people is the protection of private property rights guaranteed by our Constitution. That protection of property is what motivates people to work hard and take risks so that they can pass on to their children and grandchildren the fruits of their labor and a chance at a better life.
We have all witnessed the threats to private property protection in recent years coming from an ever-growing and intrusive government. Environmental laws have often trampled on the rights of property owners, and small businesses have been particularly vulnerable. Large property owners with their team of lawyers, lobbyists and consultants can oftentimes influence the process to work around the devastating impacts that the smaller owners cannot.
We now have H.R. 9, legislation that threatens to have the same impact on the property rights of the small independent inventors and their small investors. Why is Congress being blindly led by Barack Obama and his former staff that have moved into the Big Tech community?
Creating a law that is too broad or too punitive would create collateral damage in the patent system by stifling the ability of patent owners to legitimately enforce the patent rights that protect their intellectual property rights. It may stop some patent trolls, or prevent a few countries from buying old patents, but if it kills the next great American invention it will forever be remembered only for that. We must protect the individual’s rights, not fall for the argument that “it is for the greater good.”
H.R. 9 creates the same perverse obstacles that exist in many of our nation’s environmental laws. Those that are able to afford an army of lawyers will have the access and influence to protect their private property, and their patents; while the small businesses and inventors who have been the real backbone of American success and innovation will watch as their rights are destroyed by big business and a government that is out of control.
A true conservative majority in Congress fights to protect the rights of everyone, not just the rich and powerful who have been the allies of those that seek to create a government that chooses winners and losers.
Our private property rights were designed by the genius of some of the greatest minds in history, our Founding Fathers. This system continues to be the catalyst and the economic engine for growth in this country and around the world. Current proposals by “reform” advocates do not distinguish between so-called trolls, and legal patent holding innovators — and this is a huge mistake.
The better option would be to take a closer and more surgical approach to fairly address the issues rather than broadly attacking our constitutional protection of personal and intellectual property rights.
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