Political Quotes

“Sunday marked the 1-year anniversary of the enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. One year ago, I was pleased to stand on a stage at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia with House Judiciary Committee chairman Lamar Smith, Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office David Kappos, Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank, and others. Together, we watched President Obama sign into law the most important changes to our Nation's patent laws in 60 years. Many of the provisions of the legislation took effect on the 1-year anniversary, while other important changes, such as the shift to first- inventor-to-file, will take effect in 6 months. I commend the Patent and Trademark Office, PTO, for the work they have done, in a transparent manner, to prepare for the new procedures that take effect this week. At its best, our patent system encourages exploration and invention, creating wealth, and providing jobs. Abraham Lincoln famously said that ``the patent system added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius.'' But when patents are granted on unpatentable subject matter or on obvious creations already in use, they can be misused to stifle competition.…”