As of September 15, 2011, the America Invents Act (H.R. 1249), a bill meant to reform the patent system, was officially passed. This bill has not only allowed large corporations ease in taking ideas and inventions away from independent innovators, but threatens to destroy the entire business of invention.

The main purpose of the America Invents Act was to change the American patent system to be more like that used by Europe - prior to H.R. 1249, the person who could prove that they had been the first to develop the invention was granted the patent rights for it. H.R. 1249 changed that so the person who is first to file the application is granted the patent rights for the invention, regardless of who invented it first. This gives large corporations - who have entire legal teams availible to write their applications in a matter of days - a major advantage over the independent inventors the patent system was originally createed to protect.

Not only that, most people don't realize there was a clause added to the America Invents Act which granted the Patent Office independent control of their fees and the use of their revenue. They no longer have to answer to Congress or federal regulations applied to government agencies on these matters. The Patent Office has essentially gone independent of Congress, like the Post Office. Less than a week after they went independent they added a 15% surcharge onto their patent fees. They had been trying unsuccessfully to get approval from Congress for this surcharge for over a year prior. It is obvious that the Patent Office is now acting in its own interest as a business, rather than in the interest of the inventors it was created to protect.

President Obama has repeatedly stated that he wants to make America the country of great innovation that it once was, that it was founded to be. His approval of the America Invents Act was a mistake and will seriously hurt inventors. It is up to us, the People, the Citizens, those who benefit from the work of inventors, to show him this so that he may correct his mistake.

My name is Nicolai Blankers, and I am an independent inventor.