Meet the New Republican Membership of the House IP Subcommittee

It took a while for a congressional subcommittee to form following the House Speaker’s highly contentious vote. The Board’s Republican membership was recently formed, featuring a prominent political couple whose efforts to reform the patent system have represented the interests of both sides. A World of Stakeholders in Intellectual Property Systems. The House IP Subcommittee during the 118th Congress also includes several incoming representatives, including several who were involved in IP matters before joining the subcommittee.

Darrell Issa (CA-48) Chair of the House IP Subcommittee

Rep. Darrell Issa, born November 1, 1953, represents California’s 48th District in the United States House of Representatives. His statements in Congress have had a significant impact on the world of patent law, thanks to his previous credentials as an entrepreneur and inventor. In the 1990s, Issa served as CEO of Directed Electronics. Directed Electronics, which he co-founded in 1982, helped build America’s largest vehicle anti-theft and automotive security he device company. Issa has been named the inventor of 37 of his patents, and his biography on the Maison’s official website states that “Issa has taken great care to protect intellectual property rights.” is written.

In the days leading up to the announcement that Rep. Issa will chair the House IP subcommittee, inventor advocates expressed concern about the litigation loopholes created by past patent reforms advocated by Rep. Issa. . He has also been criticized for quashing patent law debates in favor of a pro-Big Tech agenda. raised many questions regarding his views on the legitimate form of Rep. Issa has drawn a definition of the derogatory term “patent his troll,” which includes his own patent litigation activity, while examining contributors to his past campaigns reveals the relationship between Issa and the efficient infringement lobby. It was shown that there is a strong connection between In July 2017, Rep. Issa told a hearing before the House Intellectual Property Subcommittee that U.S. District Court Judge J. Rodney for the Eastern District of Texas accused the U.S. Tribunal Advocacy Board (ABOTA) of direct personal attack on Gilstrup. I bought the wrath of

Thomas Massey (KY-04)

Rep. Thomas Massey, born January 13, 1971, has represented Kentucky’s Fourth District since being elected to the House in 2012. A biography page on Massie’s official House website notes that after graduating from the University of Massachusetts, the congressman founded his company, SensAble Technologies. Institute of Technology (MIT) with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. SensAble holds his 29 patents for systems of haptic feedback when interacting with digital systems, and the technology is used to create intricate designs for jewelry, dentures and reconstructive implants.

Many independent inventors must be disappointed to see Issa chair the House IP subcommittee, but they seem to be allied better with Rep. Massie on the subcommittee. Massie has a reputation as an inventor advocate with a deep understanding of the function of patent rights as a means of attracting investment for start-ups needing capital to expand their businesses and reach more consumers. is getting In June 2018, and again he in November 2021, Massie introduced the Restoring America’s Leadership in Innovation Act (RALIA), which repeals the 2014 Supreme Court ruling. Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International Abolish the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). While RALIA appears to have quickly lost momentum again after being introduced into Congress, Massie said at a past House IP subcommittee hearing that his PTAB’s impact on R&D investment and small businesses in the United States has been openly criticized.

Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05)

Rep. Scott L. Fitzgerald, born November 16, 1963, will take over as representative of Wisconsin’s 5th congressional district in 2021, following longtime Republican incumbent Jim Sensenbrenner, who has represented that district in Congress since 1979. has been superseded by A Wisconsin-area newspaper in the 1990s, Juno retired from the U.S. Army Reserve with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 2009, and from 1995 he served in the Wisconsin state senator until 2021, serving as the leader of the majority of state senators. He served eight years.

In May 2021, Congressman Fitzgerald called on the Biden administration to oppose proposed waivers of international intellectual property obligations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement). was one of several who signed the letter to Catherine Tai of For COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Last September, Fitzgerald asked multiple federal agencies to investigate allegations that a Chinese entity stole his IP from Wisconsin-based electronic control maker Raffel Systems. Last February, Fitzgerald appeared on a panel at the Hudson Institute on national security concerns over Chinese acquisitions of US technology companies.

Cliff Benz (OR-02)

Rep. Cliff Benz, born January 12, 1952, will join the 117th House of Representatives in 2021 after a career in state politics. Appointed to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2008, Benz spent his ten years in the House prior to his two-year term as an Oregon Senator. Like Fitzgerald, Benz has signed his May 2021 letter to USTR Tai opposing his COVID-19 exemption. In addition, Benz and Fitzgerald are among dozens of co-sponsors of the Chinese Communist Party Act, which establishes visa and property sanctions against individuals involved in patterns of gross intellectual property infringement.

Lance Gooden (TX-05)

Rep. Lance Gooden, born December 1, 1982, has represented the Texas District 5 since 2019, which includes most of eastern Dallas. Gooden spent his early career as an insurance broker and spent most of his 2010s in the Texas House of Representatives. representative. Although he did not sign the letter to USTR Tai in May 2021, Gooden said he is Massie’s co-sponsor of his RALIA bill. Gooden is also a co-sponsor of the Counter Communist China Act.

Ben Klein (VA-06)

Rep. Ben Klein, born February 29, 1972, became a member of the House in 2019, taking the Virginia Sixth District office previously held by longtime incumbent Bob Goodlatte. Before he became a member of the United States House of Representatives, he worked in marketing for local Internet and technology businesses, and served in the Virginia State House of Representatives for 16 years. Klein is a co-sponsor of the Chinese Communist Party Law.

Kevin Kiley (CA-03)

Rep. Kevin Kiley, born January 30, 1985, served in the California State Legislature from 2016 to 2022 before winning the newly reorganized California District 3 election and being elected to the 118th Congress. I am a member of the freshman class. After that, Kylie worked at the law firm Irell & Manella, where she helped prepare T-Mobile’s patent infringement lawsuit against Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Nathaniel Moran (TX-01)

Rep. Nathaniel Moran, born Sept. 23, 1974, is another one-term congressman and successor to Louis Gomert of the First District of Texas. Moran, the owner of a law firm and staffing agency in East Texas, has also served as county judge in Smith County from 2016 until 2022. Although not an inventor himself, he was involved in Smith County’s 2019 decision to retain an undisclosed patent. The law firm handling his IP licensing issues for proprietary software developed by Smith County staff that enables electronic submission of bail bond applications.

Laurel Lee (FL-15)

Rep. Laurel Lee, born March 26, 1974, completed a six-year term in Florida’s Hillsborough County Circuit Court and briefly served as Florida’s secretary of state before being elected to Florida’s 15th District last November. was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time. Campaign statements made by Lee show Keystone focusing on restoring his pipeline energy projects and improving cybersecurity for the election.

Russell Fly (SC-07)

Rep. Russell Frye, born January 31, 1985, has been representing South Carolina’s 7th District since this year and has established himself as a Republican on the House Intellectual Property Subcommittee. Frye spent seven years in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2015 until he served in 2022. There he also served as the Whip of the Chief Majority, where he advanced bills supporting Second Amendment rights, life-giving concerns, religious liberty, and electoral reform.