The United States blog

Mr. Smith goes to Washington

One of the “poster boys” of the software/high-tech side of the patent reform debate is setting up camp in D.C. Micron has apparently opened a “governmental affairs” office in the area and, according to Business Week, has charged it with the task of leading the company’s lobbying efforts on patent reform, among other issues.

The timing of this development is rather interesting. Rumor has it, Jon Dudas recently characterized the PTO’s proposed rules that would limit continuation filings as “dead as a door nail.” Perhaps this reform failure has Mircon realizing the extent of the distance between Idaho and D.C.

It is my contention that none of the current members of the Coalition for Patent Fairness, including Microsoft, are high tech. Some of them started as high tech but that was two-four decades ago. Microsoft has never been high tech and the same is true of Dell and the banking and insurance industries who make up the Coalition for Patent Piracy.

As companies age at some point they realize that they are no longer significant innovators. Some, like members of the Coalition systematically appropriate others inventions and those companies do end up with litigation crises as a result of their conduct.

Others mature, accept that they are not the source of significant innovation, and adopt a business model of licensing and or acquiring innovative technology and companies. J&J is a good example of this.

Our patent system is timeless, and it is working as intended. What is broke is the USPTO. They need our help to get back on track. They lack the vision and political will to approach their problems with a long term view and an eye towards improving their implementation of the mission of the USPTO and instead focus on the short term. Much of what they propose is about lowing their accountability, increasing their power, removing the check of court review of their actions, and in general doing what makes the bureaucrat’s lives easy as opposed to what will keep America a leading edge innovator.

One of the biggest problems that current USPTO management face is their cozying up to anti patent Coalition for Patent Fairness members and a willingness to horse trade with those companies to get support for their bureaucratic agenda or to curry favor to improve their post USPTO employment opportunities.

What is at stake is rather America will continue to be a world leader or will gradually wither as have other world leaders throughout history.

Ronald J. Riley,

President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Washington, DC
Direct (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 9 pm EST.

unitedstates.promotetheprogress.com

Mr. Smith goes to Washington

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