Representative Joe Baca (CA) recently introduced H.R. 5036 to extend the term of patent RE 38,014 that apparently includes claims that read on the MagLite flashlight.
According to a press release on Mr. Baca’s web site, the bill
“…protects the investment of Mag Instrument’s patent…and protects workers in the Inland Empire….If this patent expires, the likely outcome is that numerous foreign companies will flood the market with imitations and knock-offs.”
Mr. Baca stresses his American-job-protection justification for the bill:
“In a time when many companies have shipped American jobs overseas, Mag Instrument has remained in the Inland Empire and created jobs for our community. We must protect Mag Instrument and its commitment to job creation in the Inland Empire.”
I suppose that soundbite helps the bitter pill of Congressional extension of patent terms go down a little more smoothly, especially in Mr. Baca’s district. Its not hard to imagine, though, that the loss of American jobs rationale could apply to any patent that covers a product manufactured in this country.
And, isn’t the introduction of cheaper products upon patent expiration one of the fundamental purposes of the patent system?
