News Release

Contact:
Chris McManes
Senior Public Relations Coordinator
Phone: + 1 202 785 0017, ext. 8356
E-Mail: c.mcmanes@ieee.org
IEEE-USA Urges Congress to
End
Patent Application Fee Diversion
WASHINGTON (16 September 2004)
— Congress should not pass an increase in patent application
fees without ending the diversion of fees from the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) to other government programs, IEEE-USA
President-Elect Gerard A. Alphonse said in a letter to Senate
Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Committee members and Senate leaders
Wednesday.
Although
the USPTO is funded solely by user fees, since 1990 a portion of the fees
has been diverted to the U.S. Treasury. According to IEEE-USA, this
diversion of fees reduces the patent office's income and hinders its ability
to keep up with the growing number of patent and trademark applications it
receives each year. Delays in the issuance of patent and trademark
registrations could have enormous economic impact.
"The
patent and trademark system serves to reduce the risks of commercial
ventures and provides a business tool that helps U.S. corporations compete
in the global market," Alphonse said. "The need for U.S. companies to
protect intellectual property also creates an incentive for these companies
to keep highly skilled technical professionals close to home, rather than
shipping their jobs overseas."
A
significant reason the United States has been a magnet for new technology
ventures is the overall strength of the U.S. patent system. The USPTO
receives far more foreign applications than foreign patent offices receive
U.S. applications.
"Discontinuing fee diversion will help the U.S. patent system to remain the
leader and will enhance our ability to attract new technology ventures to
the United States," IEEE-USA's Alphonse added. "This will have a positive
effect on capital formation for such ventures in the United States, which in
turn will help create new high-paying jobs."
IEEE-USA
is an organizational unit of the IEEE. It was created in 1973 to advance the
public good and promote the careers and public-policy interests of the more
than 225,000 technology professionals who are U.S. members of the IEEE. The
IEEE is the world's largest technical professional society. For more
information, go to
www.ieeeusa.org.
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Last Update:
15 May 2007
Staff Contact: Pender M. McCarter,
p.mccarter@ieee.org
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