The Coalition

The Coalition for 21st Century Patent Reform (“21C”) is a diverse coalition of American companies who rely on patents to protect their inventions.  21C members develop and manufacture products protected by patents, license patents to and from others in furtherance of their business activities, and, when necessary, assert their patents against infringers and/or defend against patents asserted against them.

21C believes that a strong U.S. patent system is necessary for the health, prosperity, and long-term success of our country.  The U.S. patent system, once the envy of the world, no longer compares favorably with systems in Europe and Asia which allow and encourage the patenting of broader subject matters, and in which injunctions are routinely available to encourage voluntary licensing and/or to stop infringement.  21C believes that bipartisan patent reform is needed to level the playing field with China and to protect our domestic manufacturers from foreign imitations of U.S. patented products.

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Future U.S. innovation depends upon the willingness of private investors to continue to invest in and develop new inventions here.  U.S. government sponsored research alone is simply not enough.  Inventions made and patented elsewhere are unlikely to be manufactured in the U.S. and more likely to prevent U.S. products from successfully competing in foreign markets.  If done right, U.S. patent reform will fuel the investment, economic development, and job growth that is needed to secure our country and return it to its traditional position as the world’s technological leader.