US Patent Infringers Office

Below are the opinions of one inventor on the present American patent system.

“Under Obama the US Patent Office was converted into the US Patent Infringers Office. The Patent Office was effectively invaded and captured by big business with a former Google atty appointed as Director and a former Medtronic atty appointed as Chief Judge of PTAB. Both companies were well known for having bad reputations as serial infringers. Medtronic is particularly notorious for aggressive filing of large number(s) of post grant challenges to invalidate the patents of inventors.

Under the past administration, “patent reform” was voted into law by Congress, and its passage effectively made it cost prohibitive for  small entities and individual inventors to enforce, or defend their patents if infringed or challenged by larger entities.

The net result has been a dramatic drop in patent applications by individual inventors. Since most economic growth comes through innovation, the best route to growing our stagnant economy has been blocked by a shortsighted and thoughtless national policy.

Many believe that economic growth will come from productivity improvements. But productivity increases do not directly create new job(s). Only innovation directly create(s) new jobs by establishing entirely new industries and products. In the past the primary incentive for innovation was the protection afforded by patents.But patents no longer protect innovators.

The situation must change and key patent office positions (be) filled by individuals who respect patents and recognize their value to our economy and who can serve as patent advocates and educators to Congress and the Public. The damage done to patent holders by recent Court decisions and so called “patent reform” legislation must be repealed or repaired. Patents must be returned to their original status as the primary mechanism  for insuring that innovators are rewarded for their discoveries. Patents must become an asset again, not the liability they have become.

Continuing to ignore or misunderstand the importance of patents in our economy will only condemn our economy to (a) continuous state of permanent no-growth.”