Dateline:04/24/98
Dateline: 05/08/98
Forget the United States Patent System if S.507 Passes. There is No Second Chance - It Will Be Gone Forever
There is an attempt by Senator Hatch, (R-UT), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee to include S.507 in the "High Tech Week" legislation in the Senate which is scheduled for the week of May 11. We need your help to stop this assault by the big multinationals and foreign interests against our patent system. In addition to calling your own Senators, please ask your friends to call:
Your Senator: Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121
The Leadership: Senator Trent Lott (R-MS) (202) 224-6253
Senator Don Nickles (R-OK) (202) 224-5754
Senator Paul Coverdell (R-GA) (202) 224-3643
Senator Connie Mack (R-FL) (202) 224-5274
Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) (202) 224-2752
The following points in defense of the current patent system have been suggested if you agree with them. You can use them or your own opinions as to why the bill is bad.
Creates New Jobs and Businesses: Tell the leadership that the current United States patent system is critical in creating jobs.
Changes the Constitutional Protection: S.507 is changing the United States Constitution without an amendment by eliminating the protection for an inventor and his ideas.
Attacks Private Property Rights: S.507 attacks private property rights. Patents are private property under current U.S. law.
National Security: S.507 is a national security issue because it does not protect American and military technology from our world wide competitors.
Trade Routes for the Future: Patents are the trade routes for the next century, and the U.S. Congress would give up our future to expose our technology to the rest of the world.
STOP THE BILL FROM COMING TO THE FLOOR!
S.507 Out Of Committee
The following is from an email sent to me by Bob Merrick, a friend and spokesperson acting on behalf of the individual independent inventor. It concerns legislation that could impact on many of you in a negative way. Those of you with any suggestions, comments or other advice for action please feel free to post to our Bulletin Board. Under the new system proposed by S.507 American inventors will no longer have as much incentive or the protection created by the two hundred year old patent system.
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A story that needs to get out:
If this bill passes, it will kill the United States patent system as we know it. It has many, many harmful and extravagant aspects. It originated through the personal efforts of the late Ron Brown and Patent Commissioner Lehman, who made an illegal deal with the government of Japan. It would make our venerated patent system more acceptable to Japan at the expense of independent invention in America. The bill would: 1. Remove the Patent Office from the Commerce department and make it a separate entity, à la the U. S. Postal Service. This could make the awarding of patents political. 2. Require that the rules of our patent system fall in line with those of foreign governments, for the sake of "harmonization." 3. Provide for the unnecessary construction of a billion dollar building to house some of the patent office functions, while others would be banished. 4. Set up Commissioner Lehman effectively for life as czar of the new patent department. 5. Do many other weird things to change or "fix" our 200-year old patent system to the detriment of our innovators and our economy. For example, it calls for the automatic publication of confidential patent applications after 18 months, instead of at issuance. If this is a story, you should contact U.S. Senator Rohrabacher, who is fighting this bill along with 38 Nobel Laureates, our colleges and universities, and thousands of stand-alone inventors who vigorously oppose it. Who's for the bill? The Clinton administration and the multinational corporations -- the GATT and NAFTA gang. Bob Merrick, |
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