[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 86 (Thursday, May 18, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY AND HER WORK ON BEHALF OF INVENTORS AND 
                         THE U.S. PATENT SYSTEM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DAVE BRAT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2017

  Mr. BRAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate an outstanding 
conservative leader with whom I had the privilege of working with and 
learning from over my political career: Phyllis Schlafly. Her efforts 
advocating for America's inventors and the patent system that protects 
their inventions will be highlighted at an upcoming event of the Eagle 
Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund entitled ``Phyllis Schlafly: 
Celebrating an Untiring Advocate of Inventors and the Economic Freedom 
to Invent.'' Therefore, I wish to add a word commemorating the 
contribution of this bold patriot who was an indispensable force to our 
great nation's success.
  America has long been a haven for innovations in the marketplace. 
Through the years, American inventors have looked to Article I, Section 
8 of our U.S. Constitution and its power vested in Congress to protect 
creators' ``exclusive Right to their respective Writings and 
Discoveries.'' As a result, America has held the distinction of being a 
global leader in cutting-edge innovations and novel inventions.
  Phyllis Schlafly recognized this vital part of our free enterprise 
system and was a strong voice on behalf of American inventors. She was 
quick to praise the American patent system, which was unique when the 
Founding Fathers put it into the U.S. Constitution and is still unique 
today. She decried other nations that advance themselves by stealing 
American designs while clutching to inferior patent systems that punish 
inventors and stymie progress.
  Phyllis Schlafly understood that the superiority of American 
ingenuity is not a matter of happenstance, but the product of a bold 
and inspired precedent set by our Founding Fathers and enshrined in our 
Constitution. Only through patent protection, the right to private 
property, and the free market can America motivate inventors to stretch 
the boundaries of what is possible and create the products that 
increase productivity, save time, and save lives every day. From the 
traffic light and GPS navigation, to the microwave oven and the 
Internet, every American has benefitted from our unique patent system.
  For more than seventy years, Phyllis Schlafly was a tireless advocate 
for our patent system. I am proud to honor her and the many inventors 
she fought to protect.

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