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For Immediate Release
Contact: massie.press@mail.house.gov
Contact #: 202-225-3465


WASHINGTON, D.C.- Representative Thomas Massie announces the introduction of patent reform legislation designed to restore to Americans a patent system "as the Constitution of the United States originally envisioned it." Massie's legislation, HR 5811, the Restoring America's Leadership in Innovation Act of 2025 (RALIA), reverses several harmful changes to patent law that arose from Supreme Court rulings and the enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. Among the significant reforms contained in Massie's legislation is a return to the "first to invent" standard to ensure patent protection for America's inventors.

"RALIA restores a patent system as the Constitution of the United States originally envisioned it to Americans," said Congressman Massie. "In Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers gave Congress the authority to protect the discoveries of inventors. Specifically, they created a patent system to 'promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.' Regrettably, Congress's 2011 enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act has worked in concert with several Supreme Court decisions to erode this protection's strength and value."

"As the Constitution intends, RALIA restores patent protection to inventors by awarding patents on a 'first to invent' basis rather than the more recently adopted 'first to file' standard," Congressman Massie continued. "A return to a 'first to invent' patent protection system ensures that inventors and the investors who back them can be confident that their innovative work and ideas will be safeguarded. Patents should protect those who innovate, not those who win the race to the patent office."

In addition to restoring patent protections to a "first to invent" standard, RALIA contains other important reforms to the patent system. Notably, RALIA affirms that a patent secures private property rights, allows inventors to once again obtain injunctions against intellectual property thieves, restores inventors' rights to defend their inventions in court by abolishing the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and ends the automatic publication of patent applications unless a patent is granted. 

Among the groups supporting Congressman Massie's legislation are: American Association of Senior Citizens, American Business Defense Council, American Policy Center, Conservatives for Property Rights, Eagle Forum Education & Legal Defense Fund, Less Government, Let Freedom Ring, Market Institute, Prosperity for US Foundation, 60 Plus Association, Taxpayers Protection Alliance, The Committee for Justice, Tradition Family Property Inc., U.S. Business & Industry Council, US Inventor, and Veterans Intellectual Property.

Randy Landreneau, President, US Inventor, offered the following statement of support for the Massie legislation:

"For two decades, misguided changes—driven by large corporations seeking dominance—have gutted the rights of American inventors and startups. The result: weakened innovation, rising monopolies, and China gaining ground in critical technologies. It’s time to fully restore inventors’ constitutional rights and unleash American innovation once again. RALIA does exactly that."

RALIA's original cosponsors include Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).

Bill text for the Restoring America's Leadership in Innovation Act of 2025 is available at this link.

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