Political Quotes

“today the Senate is passing legislation to strengthen an important humanitarian innovation prize created by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, PTO. Since 2012, the Patents for Humanity Award has recognized selected patent holders who use their inventions to address humanitarian needs. The legislation the Senate passed today will strengthen the award program and encourage innovators to continue using their work for humanitarian goals. The innovations that are recognized by the Patents for Humanity Award program help underserved people throughout the world. Award winners have worked to improve nutrition, provide clean drinking water, fix broken bones in remote hospitals that lack x-ray technology, bring solar-powered energy to villages that are off the power grid, and combat the problem of dangerous counterfeit drugs, among other achievements. Winners of the Patents for Humanity Award demonstrate that our patent system does more than drive economic gain for individual companies; it can incentivize research and discoveries that promote humanitarian good. Winners of the Patents for Humanity Award receive a one-time certificate to accelerate a process or application at the PTO, as described in the program rules. For several years, small businesses and global health groups have told me that the prize would be more usable, particularly for small business innovators, if the acceleration certificates awarded were transferable to a third party.…”