Thomas Massie: “I ask my colleagues to think about where the hotbeds of innovation are in this country. They are at universities, where…”

“I ask my colleagues to think about where the hotbeds of innovation are in this country. They are at universities, where students and professors come up with new ideas. They are at our startups, where inventors and entrepreneurs pursue their dreams late into the night, toiling away, backed by venture capitalists who fund their dreams and their ideas. But why would venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, inventors, and universities be against a bill called the Innovation Act? I will tell you why. Because the Innovation Act stifles innovation. Mr. Speaker, would you take a lawnmower to your flower garden if you saw a weed in it? I sure wouldn't, but that is what the Innovation Act does. It will destroy and degrade our patent system in this country. I urge my colleagues to vote against the Innovation Act, H.R. 9. ____________________”