The Center for American Principles submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of its July 14 hearing, “From Genes to Machines: the Patent Eligibility Debate,” urging lawmakers to support the bipartisan Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA).
In the letter, CAP President Anthony Zagotta argues that a strong and predictable patent system is essential to protecting free enterprise, encouraging investment, and maintaining America’s leadership in innovation. CAP explains that a series of Supreme Court decisions has created uncertainty surrounding patent eligibility, making it increasingly difficult for inventors and investors to secure protection for valuable new technologies—even when those inventions are novel, useful, and technologically significant.
The letter highlights the consequences of this uncertainty across critical sectors including biotechnology, medical diagnostics, artificial intelligence, software, and advanced manufacturing. CAP notes that weakened patent eligibility standards have discouraged investment in emerging technologies and threaten America’s ability to compete with foreign rivals that are aggressively investing in innovation.
CAP concludes that the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act would restore clarity to U.S. patent law by replacing judge-created exceptions with clear statutory language while preserving longstanding requirements that patents be novel, useful, and non-obvious. The organization urges Congress to strengthen America’s intellectual property system and ensure the United States remains the world’s leading engine of technological progress.