USIJ Report Reveals Consequences of a Weakened U.S. Patent System

“The draconian shift away from the world’s most permissive and welcoming patent system has been stark. It has had a disproportionate impact on startups, universities and smaller entities focusing on research and development.”

There is a symbiotic relationship between innovation and patents. The innovation that we say we most want is cutting-edge innovation that requires time, money and determination to bring into being. This paradigm shifting innovation or technology that can be characterized as disruptive creates the leaps forward and solves society’s greatest problems. Witness the race for vaccines and treatments to address the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the globe.

Innovative leaps forward lead to the formation of new startup companies and, frequently, to the birth of entire new industries. It is with this type of most desirable innovation that we see enormous job growth, and the greatest benefit to society.

A Major Shift

Unfortunately, paradigm shifting innovation does not come cheap. And patents are the lifeblood of this type of disruptive innovation. Those within the industry know this to be the case, and today the Alliance of U.S. Startups and Inventors for Jobs (USIJ) released a report detailing a comprehensive study that confirms the importance of patents and the consequences of a patent system in the United States that has veered away from strong protections for innovators and toward rules and laws that make it ever easier for implementers to copy the innovations of creators without remuneration.