Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) David Kappos today announced plans
to open regional USPTO offices in or around Dallas, Texas, Denver, Colorado,
and Silicon Valley, California. These offices are in addition to the
already-announced first USPTO satellite office to open on July 13 in Detroit,
Michigan. The four offices will function as hubs of innovation and creativity,
helping protect and foster American innovation in the global marketplace,
helping businesses cut through red tape, and creating new economic
opportunities in each of the local communities.
The
offices announced today will help the USPTO attract talented IP experts
throughout the country who will work closely with entrepreneurs to process
patent applications, reduce the backlog of unexamined patents, and speed up the
overall process, allowing businesses to move their innovation to market more
quickly, and giving them more room to create new jobs.
Patents
are a significant factor in private sector job creation. In fact, the U.S.
Commerce Department issued a recent report
finding that IP-intensive industries are the source – directly or indirectly –
of 40 million jobs, contributing $5.06 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2010.
Selection
of the four sites was based upon a comprehensive analysis (PDF) of criteria including
geographical diversity, regional economic impact, ability to recruit and retain
employees, and the ability to engage the intellectual property community. The Leahy-Smith
America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA), signed into law by President Obama in
September, requires the USPTO to establish regional satellite locations as part
of a larger effort to modernize the U.S. patent system over the next three
years.
“Intellectual
property protection and innovation are engines of economic growth and the
bedrock of America’s private sector,” said Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary
Rebecca Blank. “The Obama administration is committed to making certain
our businesses and entrepreneurs have the resources they need to grow, create
jobs and compete globally. These new offices are an historic step toward
further advancing our world’s best IP system, and reinforcing the United States
as the number one destination for innovation capital, and research and
development around the world.”