Is This Foreshadowing of American Innovation?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: bnmeeks () verizon net
Date: June 24, 2009 10:29:24 AM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Is This Foreshadowing of American Innovation?

Since we've been discussing patents in the last couple of days, I  
thought the following short article about the PTO needing more money  
because its revenue stream, derived from the filing of patents and  
trademarks, has fallen off so dramatically.  What does this mean (if  
anything) for American innovation?

From Congress Daily
http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cda_20090624_3058.php   
(If this link is unreachable because subscription is needed, I  
apologize in advance):

by Andrew Noyes
The Patent and Trademark Office is asking Congress to help stabilize  
the agency, which is facing a substantial decrease in the number of  
patent applications filed, Acting Director John Doll told employees in  
a Tuesday memo. The agency, which is funded through fees collected  
from its users, this week suspended overtime pay for patent examiners  
and this year instituted a hiring freeze. All of this has been done  
with an eye toward avoiding furloughs.

"We're now putting forward a number of different options to bridge any  
possible gaps, and we'll also be soliciting ideas from members of  
Congress," Doll wrote, acknowledging that in the recession, fee  
collection could continue to decline. With the support of Commerce  
Secretary Locke, the PTO is seeking additional cost reduction measures  
that would save an additional $20 million in FY09, he said.

[snip]




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