Wisconsin representatives Jim Sensenbrenner and Tammy Baldwin co-wrote an op-ed on a bill to reform procedures in the U.S. Patent Office, specifically objecting to expansion of “prior user rights,” which the two lawmakers contend will suffocate small business innovation and investments. Such a new system would a disastrous effect on research at universities, they wrote, including UW-Madison, which has benefited from protection of intellectual property rights through patents.
Office of Strategic Communication