Leading the way is the Senate Judiciary Committee, pushing a bill that could cripple most of America's smaller inventors and even the larger industrial firms that depend on patents. The bill could also weaken the ability of our universities to play a prominent role in technology development. Senate Judiciary is rushing this bill through without allowing many of those affected, especially U.S. manufacturers, to present their views to the committee.

Judiciary Chair Pat Leahy, Vermont Democrat, held a hearing June 6 on the bill, his proposed Patent Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1145). Though testimony revealed many serious drawbacks in the legislation, Mr. Leahy wants a quick markup of the bill this month, ramming it through committee to please some powerful information technology (IT) firms.

Many larger IT companies... fear having their market positions disrupted or constrained by new ideas outside their control. They want current law rewritten to make challenges to patents easier and more frequent after they're granted, and to curb what they view as "abusive litigation" by patent-holders seeking to protect their rights.