Marcy Kaptur: “Today I rise in opposition to H.R. 3309. This bill hurts innovation by small business and many American inventors with…”

“Today I rise in opposition to H.R. 3309. This bill hurts innovation by small business and many American inventors with less than 5 patents. My amendment to exempt them from the strictures and inherent costs of this bill was not made in order. Issues with this bill: Proponents of the bill claim that H.R. 3309 attempts to fix the issue with patent trolls. However, there is no evidence that patent trolls make up more than a very small percent of the civil suits brought in court--probably less than 5 percent. The bill does however make it more difficult and for the vast majority of inventors and much more expensive for the ``little guy'' to sue for patent infringement. Small inventors simply cannot afford to defend themselves. Truly, this is un-American. Fee shifting and ``loser pay'' rules ensure that only wealthy inventors and large business are able to protect their patents. Many small inventors and entrepreneurs simply cannot afford the cost of civil litigation and the potential cost of paying the legal fees for losing a lawsuit. Why throttle the most important source of innovation in our Nation? Six national higher education associations including the Association of American Universities, Association of American Medical Universities, Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, and the American Bar Association and the Association of University Technology Managers oppose this bill. More than half of the U.S.…”