U.S. Chamber Outlines Support for Patent Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Vice President for Government Affairs, Bruce Josten, outlined the Chamber’s support for the patent bill – the America Invents Act (H.R. 1249) – in a letter to the House today.
“If we’re going to turn this economic recovery into a jobs recovery, it’s going to start with increasing our country’s competitiveness,” Josten said. “This legislation is an important first steptoward doing just that, as it will helpdrive America’s economic growth, create jobs, and increase our competitiveness.”
The Chamber has long recognized the major challenges facing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which have hampered the agency’s ability to expeditiously issue high quality patents. Josten’s letter pointed out that this legislation provides the USPTO with the tools and resources it needs to address the current backlog of 1.2 million applications waiting for a final determination and to reduce the current pendency time of 3 years, which is essential to encouraging innovation and bolstering the U.S. economy.
“We also applaud the important legal reforms contained in this bill,” Josten said. “They will helpreduce unnecessary litigation against American businesses and innovators.”
“We commend the bill’s sponsors for their work and urge the House leadershipto schedule a vote on this important legislation expeditiously,” he said.
Josten’s letter is available here: http://www.uschamber.com/issues/letters/2011/letter-supporting-hr-1249-america-invents-act
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.
