Bill proposes exempting USPTO from budget sequestration
Managing IP is part of the Delinian Group, Delinian Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX, Registered in England & Wales, Company number 00954730
Copyright © Delinian Limited and its affiliated companies 2024

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Bill proposes exempting USPTO from budget sequestration

A bill has been introduced to the US Congress proposing to exempt the USPTO from funding cuts as a result of budget sequestration

The Patents And Trademarks Encourage New Technology (PATENT) Jobs Act, introduced by Representatives Mike Honda, Zoe Lofgren and Anna Eshoo, would exempt the Office from budget cuts from 2014 to 2021.

A press releasefrom Honda claims that if legislation is not passed, the USPTO will not be able to open five new patent offices around the country, including one in Silicon Valley. Honda said that an exception should be made for the USPTO because, unlike other government agencies, it is funded entirely by fees paid to the Office.

Honda also expressed concern about the Office’s backlog of 640,000 applicants, which the planned new locations are designed to ease.

In May, AIPLA president Jeff Lewis wroteto the Office of Management and Budget protesting against sequestration being applied to the USPTO. Lewis, writing on behalf of AIPLA’s 15,000 members, said recent progress in reducing the backlog is likely to be undermined by sequestration.

In a statement today, AIPLA executive director Q Todd Dickinson welcomed the proposed legislation.

“We believe that Rep. Honda's bill recognizes the unique fee-funded status of the USPTO and provides the best chance of ensuring the necessary funding for effective implementation of the AIA," said Dickinson.

more from across site and ros bottom lb

More from across our site

A 36-member team from Zhong Lun Law Firm, including six partners, will join the newly formed East IP Group
The Delhi High Court sided with Ericsson against Indian smartphone maker Lava, bringing the companies' nine-year dispute to a close
We provide a rundown of Managing IP’s news and analysis from the week, and review what’s been happening elsewhere in IP
Tennessee has passed the ELVIS Act, a law that fights against AI models that mimic the voice and likeness of music artists
Rob Stien, chief communications and public policy officer at InterDigital, says the EU has forgotten innovators while trying to solve an issue that doesn’t exist
As Australia’s Qantm IP leans towards being acquired by a private equity company, sources discuss what it could mean for IP firms
Law firms that are conscious of their role in society are more likely to win work, according to a survey of over 23,000 in-house professionals
Nghiem Xuan Bac Pham, managing partner of Vision & Associates, discusses opportunities created by the US-China rift as well as profitability issues facing IP practices
Douglas Leite and two of his colleagues were intrigued by Bhering Advogados’s mission to grow its patent litigation practice
Each week Managing IP speaks to a different IP practitioner about their life and career
Gift this article