After the Shutdown, Congress Is Back ... to Help Big Tech

After the longest government shutdown in modern history, the House is finally back in session. Unfortunately, one of its first orders of business appears to be siding with Big Tech over small inventors.

This week, the House Judiciary Committee will mark up the Litigation Transparency Act. The bill is being sold as a measure to promote honesty and transparency in the courts. In reality, it would make it far more difficult for small businesses to hold corporate giants accountable when their technology is deliberately stolen. That’s a direct threat to the innovation that keeps the U.S. economy dynamic.

Across industries, major firms have quietly built a business model around predatory patent theft. That’s by design. Big Tech has turned infringement into a calculated risk. The strategy even has a name: efficient infringement. Companies knowingly steal patented ideas, betting that the legal and financial barriers facing smaller competitors will prevent them from fighting back. If a case ever makes it to court, they can easily afford the payout -- which usually costs less than an upfront licensing deal would have.

Unfortunately, this model is quite lucrative. Most small businesses and individual entrepreneurs cannot afford the years and millions of dollars it takes to go up against mega corporations in court. Even with airtight evidence, small inventors often accept pennies on the dollar in settlements, knowing they lack the resources to fight the war of attrition.