PURPOSE
The Intellectual Property Committee's
objective is to promote intellectual property issues of importance to the IEEE
U.S.
membership (employed engineers, faculty, scientists, inventors, tech workforce, entrepreneurs, etc.), including fast
moving technology, technology transfer, inventor's rights and U.S. competitiveness and innovation. IPC prepares testimony and position statements,
drafts legislation, and delivers expert testimony before the U.S. Congress & the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The IPC is often called upon to offer advice to
the U.S. Copyright Office, Office of Science and
Technology Policy, the United States Trade
Representative Office, and to the Office of the Assistant Attorney General for
Antitrust issues.
All IPC-developed positions represent a consensus of a diverse
group of engineers and lawyers who are either sole practitioners or work for industry.
ISSUES & ACTIVITIES
During 2008, the IPC is focusing on the patent reform issue. The IPC is prepared to also act on other intellectual property issues as they arise.
23 October 2007 - Coalition letter to Senate leadership, IEEE-USA signed onto a letter
bearing the names of more than 430 organizations and companies united in
opposition to the Patent Reform Act of 2007 as currently written. Spanning a
vast range of industries and including every size of entity from startups to
the nation's largest corporations, the signatories are based in all 50 states
and the District of Columbia.
27 August 2007 - Read IEEE-USA's letter to House and Senate Leaders and Judiciary Committee members opposing adoption of the Patent Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1145/H.R. 1908)
NATIONAL INVENTOR'S HALL of FAME
The National Inventors Hall of Fame™ honors the women and men responsible for the great technological advances that make human, social and economic progress possible.
Each year, the Selection Committee - including representatives of IEEE - of the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation selects inventors for induction.
These are selected from a field of people nominated by peers and the public. The Selection Committee includes representatives from the leading national scientific and technical organizations. Please visit http://www.invent.org/ for more information and for nomination forms, and help to gain recognition for the colleagues and peers who inspire you.
The Hall of Fame also awards collegiate inventors for their contributions. Visit http://www.invent.org/collegiate/index.html for more information.
LEGISLATION
- 110th Congress: Introduced Legislation of Interest:
HR 1908 — Patent Reform Act of 2007 
Sponsor: Berman, Howard L. (D-Calif.)
Last Major Action: Enrolled in the US House; placed on the Senate calendar.
S 1145 — Patent Reform Act of 2007
Sponsor: Leahy, Patrick J. (D-Vt.)
Last Major Action:
24 January 2008; Amended by Leahy and placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 563.
Department of Commerce, Letter providing the views of the Administration on S. 1145, the "Patent Reform Act of
2007," as reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 24,2008.
Update - The progress Congress was making on the Patent Reform Act stalled in May 2008. The House passed their version of the legislation in late 2007. However Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the bill from the Senate schedule and reform efforts are unlikely to reappear in the 110th Congress
ARCHIVES
EMPLOYEE INVENTORS
IEEE-USA Wants Feedback on Pre-Assignment Agreements - IEEE-USA wants your thoughts, experiences and suggestions about intellectual property pre-assignment agreements. Please submit your response by e-mail to pre-assignment@ieee.org
This is a research program. All submitted data is voluntary and will be used for informational purposes only. Any reports and findings will be depersonalized. If you wish to receive results from this investigation, so indicated in your e-mail by providing contact information.
June 2008 Today's Engineer article, "What You Need to Know about Pre-Assignment Agreements to Protect Your Intellectual Property"
November 2005 The IPC approved draft legislation
that would establish limits for employment agreements clarifying what intellectual property created by an employee can be claimed by the company and what belongs to the employee. Text of draft legislation.
Intellectual Property & The Employee Engineer by Orin Laney - http://www.ieeeusa.org/members/IPandtheengineer.pdf
POSITION STATEMENTS
The IEEE-USA Board of Directors had adopted the following IEEE-USA IPC-developed position statements:
TESTIMONY & POLICY COMMUNICATIONS
IPC initiated the following IEEE-USA
testimony and communications to the U.S. Congress and the Administration:
WEB RESOURCES
Presented for informational purposes only: On July 16th 2008, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the extension of the Peer to Patent: Community Patent Review Pilot until June 2009, and expansion of subject matter to include review of applications pending in Technology Center 3600 Class 705 (Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, or Cost/Price Determination).
Peer to Patent is a pilot program by New York Law School Center for Patent Innovations, in cooperation with the USPTO, launched June 15, 2007 with open review of pending published applications in Technology Center 2100 (Computer Architecture, Software, and Information Security). In June 2008 the Peer to Patent team released the First Anniversary Report demonstrating pilot success in the first year - 73 percent of participating USPTO examiners want Peer to Patent implemented as regular office practice, and 21 percent of participating examiners stated prior art submission by Peer to Patent community was inaccessible by the USPTO. Some first year pilot highlights include over 2000 participants from over 140 countries and 173 items of prior art references submitted on 40 applications.
Peer to Patent is currently accepting applications pending in Technology Center 2100 and Technology Center 3600 class 705 (see website for a complete list of classes), and requesting all members of the scientific/technical community to participate in improving the patent system. To join, go to: www.peertopatent.org For more information email: info@peertopatent.org
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY POLICY COMMITTEE
The 15-member committee meets approximately four times a year in Washington, DC. Additionally, 45 other IEEE members serve as corresponding members of the IPC and assist with drafting position statements, amicus briefs, and all communications with policy makers.
2008 Key Contacts:
Chair: Keith Grzelak - Spokane, WA
Vice-Chair: Glenn Tenney - San Mateo, CA
Staff: Erica Wissolik - Washington, DC
**Photos from a September 2007 Capitol Hill event promoting
IEEE-USA's position on patent reform legislation in the 110th Congress**
(L. to R. ) IPC Chairman Keith Grzelak, 2008 IEEE-USA President Russ Lefevre, IEEE member and inventor Dean Kamen & 2007 IEEE-USA President John Meredith
(L. to R.) 2007 IEEE-USA President John Meredith, IEEE member and inventor Steve Perlman and 2008 IEEE-USA President Russ Lefevre
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