[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 16, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     STEAL AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Forbes] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I take the floor today in this, the people's 
House. Yes, we proudly proclaim that this is the people's House where 
we stand up for the individual.
  Mr. Speaker, tomorrow there is going to be a very startling series of 
events on an issue that will be before this House. I refer specifically 
to H.R. 400, the Steal American Technology Act.
  This act will take American individuals and American interests and 
supplant them to the foreign interests. It will take multinational 
corporation interests and put them over the individual's interest. It 
will weigh in for power and prestige over the needs of Americans and 
our economy.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 400 is about gaining access to foreign markets. If 
my colleagues are concerned about the terrible exporting of American 
jobs overseas, they will be absolutely outraged if H.R. 400 is to pass 
this House and become law because it sells out our children's future 
and our grandchildren's future, it puts us at an economic disadvantage 
in the world marketplace, and it makes American interests secondary to 
foreign interests.
  Patent protections go back to the beginning of this Republic. They 
are spelled out in our Constitution. They say that, if a man or woman 
comes up with a great idea, they can get that idea protected by our 
Government and by our patent offices, Eli Whitney and his cotton gin 
protected by the patent system, Henry Ford protected by the patent 
system, Thomas Edison protected by the patent system.
  Mr. Speaker, what this body is about to do tomorrow will put us at a 
distinct disadvantage. It will say to the little guy, forget you, 
multinational interests are supreme over individual interests; we need 
access to foreign markets, so we are going to sell out the individual.
  This is a horrendous activity that is about to take place. Mr. 
Speaker, telling men and women across America, the individuals, the 
little guys, that come up with the good idea that they are no longer 
going to be protected because after 18 months, whether they have their 
patent or not, we will open it up for the whole world to see their idea 
so that the whole world can copy that idea.
  And who better than the more aggressive nations around the globe that 
are trying to take our American ideas, Asian nations particularly have 
pleaded with the administration to loosen up on patents, to loosen up 
those protections, water down our ability to protect American ideas; 
and in return, we will give you access to foreign markets.
  Multinational corporations love it because with their vast legal 
departments they can protect their interests. But what about the little 
guy who does not have the resources to get a bank of attorneys to 
protect their idea?
  The American patent system has historically protected the little guy, 
and tomorrow we are going to sell down the river the little guy in 
America for the sake of multinational corporations. We must oppose the 
watering down of our patent protections.
  This will put Horatio Alger's notion of this Nation, that an average 
man or woman with a good idea could build upon that idea and create new 
jobs, create whole new industries, create a stronger and better 
America.
  As we march into the 21st century, we are going to hand off that 
notion to foreign interests because multinational corporations want 
access to foreign markets. And if we let this pass in this House, shame 
on us, Mr. Speaker.

                              {time}  1545

  Shame on us for selling down the American people in what we have 
lovingly called the people's House.

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