Leadership of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet (IP Subcommittee) changed hands from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in January of 2023. This committee writes patent law which is crucial for innovation. Patent laws can boost or destroy the uses of patents and the associated private property rights; Patents attract investments into startups, create disruptive innovations in new industries, establish leadership in an industry, break up monopolies, and much more.

The 118th Congress and its House IP Subcommittee will determine the fate of U.S. innovation by either fixing critical problems that were brought about by past misguided legislation and Supreme Court decisions—or by ignoring them and making things worse. It is important that the Chair of this Subcommittee be seen by all stakeholders as a fair “honest broker” and an impartial facilitator of balanced discourse on patent legislation.

Representative Darrell Issa a likely to become Chairman of the IP Subcommittee. If we want to bring back innovation in the US, this cannot happen.

We write in opposition to the candidacy of Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) as Chairman of the House of Representative Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet (IP Subcommittee).

We are inventors and startups dedicated to solving problems through innovations. We are the driving force behind economic development in the United States. We create new inventions, commercialize key technologies, generate new jobs, provide competition against monopolies, and build economic growth. We are the innovation engine of the United States. Unfortunately, the broken patent system and bad patent laws leave us struggling and unable to innovate. However, we have the chance to fix it and bring innovation back to the United States.

Along with the full committee, the subcommittee will change hands from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in January of 2023. The subcommittee is responsible for writing patent law, which can either boost or destroy US Innovation. Patents attract investments into startups, break up monopolies, create key innovations in new industries and establish worldwide leadership in an industry.

For more than a decade, the IP subcommittee, and the agencies that are influenced by it−USPTO and ITC− have caused severe injury to American Innovation (1). We cannot obtain lost profits and punitive damages after infringement, are victims of having our issued patents invalidated or made unenforceable or have valuable patent applications wrongfully denied.

The patent system that worked for us for nearly 200 years, has been gutted: Monopolies formed, China is leading in key technologies, and American innovation is dying. The IP Subcommittee has a duty to fix the patent system.

The Chair of the IP Subcommittee is the most influential person on the subcommittee. He sets the agenda and priorities and can block legislation in committee, as well as influence the USPTO and ITC. We oppose Representative Darrell Issa’s bid to Chair this Subcommittee for the 118th Congress. Issa’s record shows that he is the most unsuited for the Chairmanship position (2). His one-sided legislative proposals against patent protection for inventors and startups are among the driving forces that gutted the US patent system and harmed US Innovation.

Issa has demonstrated his belief that patents are a hindrance and has a long history of extreme anti-patent positions when sponsoring his own legislation and cosponsoring others as well as other anti-patent initiatives and actions. We will not support or trust Issa if appointed Chair of the IP Subcommittee. It is time for new leadership.

There are several Republican members of Congress currently on and off the Subcommittee who have significant experience in intellectual property, and who are fit to be chair of the Subcommittee and gain our support and trust. It would not serve in the best interest of our innovation nation for Issa to become Chair. The House IP Subcommittee must be reassembled under new leadership that can credibly tackle the challenges to undo the harm in patent law to inventors and startups. We do not support Rep. Darrell Issa as Chairman of the IP Subcommittee.

Call the numbers for your state below. If you’re not sure what to say, please follow the script below as a guideline for your call.

“I am against the appointment of Darrell Issa as the Chair of the IP Subcommittee. Rep. Issa has a history of supporting anti-patent legislation that has significantly hurt American inventors and startups. To restore America’s lead in innovation, enable startups to compete with Big Tech, and stay ahead of China, we need an IP Subcommittee chairman who is for patent rights, not Darrell Issa. Please oppose Darrell Issa as IP Subcommittee Chair.”

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