In an opinion piece published after the 2016 election, IPWatchdog argues that the discussion about what Donald Trump's victory means for patents is misguided. The author notes that observers are asking whether the new administration will keep patents weak or make them "great again," but calls that a curious exercise: property is property, and patents should not be treated as a political football.
The column's central claim is that the America Invents Act, and particularly the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, must be repealed. The author contends that the AIA created a system that undermines the property-like status of patents, and that no other form of property would be subjected to the same kind of post-grant challenges. The piece therefore frames the AIA not as a procedural matter but as a fundamental threat to patent rights.