I’m Paul Morinville. I founded US Inventor in 2014, after the Supreme Court and the America Invents Act killed my company. I don’t know what you did the last time the government killed your business, but I hopped in my truck and drove to Washington DC. Staff there explained to me that they only meet with “official” associations, so I launched US Inventor – with business cards and a website. Randy and Josh and THOUSANDS of inventors came on board to establish US Inventor as the leading national organization advancing our nation’s 1787 charter To promote progress in the science and useful arts by securing to inventors the exclusive rights to their discoveries.
That effort paid dividends last week in Texas. Inventors and grassroots activists ran out a sitting Congressman (Congressman Van Taylor Texas CD-3) and replaced him with a candidate who committed to sponsor H.R. 5874, the Restoring Americas Leadership in Innovation Act. This legislation fixes the major problems in the patent system that have significantly damaged the American startup engine and driven many inventors into the poorhouse.
This was not our first political campaign. We stopped the PATENT Act introduced in the Senate in 2015 (the companion to the Innovation Act, which we also killed) by an on-the-ground campaign calling out its sponsor Senator Grassley in Iowa. Grassley was the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee which is responsible for approving all patent-related legislation. Our effort took six months, but in the end, Grassley pulled it off the Senate floor due to pressure from his base in Iowa. We also ran a campaign to drive Congressman Darrell Issa out of office in 2016. Issa was the Chairman of the House IP Subcommittee which was responsible for the patent laws in the House of Representatives. We pushed his vote down to the closest of all House elections in the country. In the end Issa’s election was the last called and he won by only 1300 votes. But immediately following the election Issa changed his messaging to pretend to be pro-patent. The final result was that Issa did not seek reelection in that district again. Instead, he moved to a different district unfamiliar with his record and got himself elected there two years later.
The Van Taylor campaign was different. Josh Malone, inventor of Bunch O Balloons and long time volunteer advocate discovered his own Congressman had thrown in his lot with with big tech, so Josh spurred the effort to replace him. Taylor was the favorite to win, polling above 60%. The professionals who looked at the race told us he was untouchable. But we had different information on the ground and thought we could do it against the odds. A campaign like this can cost up to $500,000 to educate approximately 60,000 voters. We found synergy with dozens of local grassroots volunteers, knocked on tens of thousands of doors, called and sent mailers to thousands of primary voters, broadcasted radio and TV advertising, conducted many polls, installed billboards, yard signs, and street signs, and gave out thousands of cards to voters at the polls. In the end, Van Taylor was put into a runoff and quickly resigned.
Importantly, the candidate replacing Van Taylor for Texas’s Third Congressional District is Keith Self, who has committed to cosponsor H.R. 5874.
There are several primary races where the current Representative is weak and has refused to sponsor H.R. 5874, and where at least one primary opponent has stated support publicly for it. We want to knock out a couple more sitting Congressmen this primary season, but we need your help.
These campaigns produce the highest possible political value. Other members who are not targeted think they could be next. That fear will infect Congress and we will get H.R. 5874 passed or major provisions of it. We need another couple of wins for that to have a full effect and see legislation passed next year.
What You Can Do
Election season is a great opportunity to develop a rapport with the candidates in your area and get them on the record in support of H.R 5874. Here is an easy guide for you to follow. We can easily get several dozen candidates to evaluate the problem and go on the record in support of positive reforms. Please give it a try and let me know how they respond.
If you want to do even more, like get involved in the upcoming primary election in your area – moving thousands of votes and having a major impact – please contact me directly. I’m looking for people who can donate substantial funds or hours campaigning for or against candidates in May, June, July, and August primaries that are coming up.
Thank you for your continued participation in this fight.
Paul Morinville
Founder, US Inventor
US Inventor is a 501(c)4 non-profit advocating for the rights of inventors.
