Director's Blog: the latest from USPTO leadership

An Update on USPTO’s FY 2010 Spending Authority

Blog by Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos

Today I'm happy to report that something really important and positive happened last week; something that should brighten the perspective of everyone who cares about innovation, intellectual property, and the operations of the USPTO.  Both houses of Congress made strong supportive statements about IP and passed legislation, with laser-focus and laser-speed.  Last Thursday the Senate passed H.R. 5874, which had been both introduced and passed just one day earlier by the House.  This single-purpose legislation increases the Fiscal Year 2010 spending authority for the USPTO by $129 million, and we expect the President to sign the bill into law shortly.  This swift action reflects the recognition on the part of the Administration and the Congress of the vital role our Agency plays in supporting innovation and in spurring job creation and economic growth.  

This legislation will allow the USPTO to immediately take a number of actions that will benefit the entire IP community, including:  hiring additional patent examiners; funding full overtime for patent examiners and support staff; accelerating patent examination process reengineering; and continuing to fully fund PCT contract work.  Mission-critical IT projects to increase the effectiveness of every USPTO function will also be accelerated.

This is unquestionably a important step in the right direction, returning to the USPTO most of the $200M we expect to collect this fiscal year in excess of the amount originally appropriated to us.  And even more importantly, it is a move toward unleashing America’s innovative genius as well as the efforts of our nation’s innovation agency – the USPTO.   Without question, there is widespread understanding that we need full access to all our fee revenues, given the enormous requirements associated with our efforts to effectively address our pendency and backlog challenges.

The passage of this bill would not have happened without the leadership of Congress, as well as the dedication and support of the President, the Department of Commerce, Office of Management and Budget, and the IP Community.  On behalf of the USPTO, thank you to everyone who played a role in making this possible.

Posted at 12:34PM Aug 02, 2010 in USPTO  |  Comments[3]