Keep in mind that the standard for "First to File" is actually present in much of the rest of the world. Large US corporations have argued that this switch will make our companies more competitive. What's happened is that American companies see a unified global patent system eventually taking hold and they want to use their resource advantage to dominate a future marketplace. They're primarily concerned with establishing market leadership lock in. Innovation as a desired outcome for the advancement of mankind couldn't be further from their thought process.