From the office of Sen. Barbara Mikulski:
U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today voted in favor of proceeding with the America Invents Act. The bipartisan legislation would significantly reform America’s patent system for the first time in 60 years. This is an important step forward in Senate consideration of the bill.
“This is about jobs, jobs, jobs,” Senator Mikulski said. “Right now there are 700,000 patent applications waiting to be reviewed. That’s three years worth of American innovation and jobs that are on hold. This patent reform legislation is the first step toward passing another jobs bill. It’s a good step, but not the only step. We have many pending bills that will help create and save jobs without creating new bureaucracy, new rules or new regulations. Congress should pass bills like this one, reauthorize the FAA and return to regular order in appropriations. These are all jobs bills.”
Currently, there are 700,000 patent applications awaiting review. The America Invents Act would give the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office the tools it needs to work through that backlog and lower fees for small business applicants by up to 75 percent.
Before the Senator’s constituents are thinking this as a “jobs bill”, which it is not, they should please read “Patent reform: One giant step backwards” and “The anti-innovation patent reform act of 2011” as published by the National Law Journal at http://www.nlj.com and at http://www.law.com. Thank you, Dale L. Carlson
Thanks for the links and additional information. I would prefer it didn’t come from an obviously biased source, however.
That said, doesn’t sound like legislation we need. Sounds like a pile of crap.
“We have many pending bills that will help create and save jobs without creating new bureaucracy, new rules or new regulations.” — Seems like an oxymoron.
So, you need to pass more legislation in order to ease the bureaucracy created by passing prior legislation??? Now that’s what I call “job security”!
Oh boy, more spending. How much do we owe China now? I have an idea, why don’t Barbara Mikulski retire so someone else can have her job . . . one less person looking for a job – one less tax and spend liberal in Washington D.C.
Oh wait, this is Maryland. Nevermind, Maryland “foolish” voters would just put another tax and spend liberal in her place.
Rob, you are right, I know if a republican were in her place, he would work for free, no expeneses what so-ever for programs or anything. Amazing how the republicans spend absolutely no money. Why didn’t the demos think of that? Free eveything…what a concept.
Because they are not as smart . . .
Listen, folks, let’s not call in to question how smart Babs Mikulski is. She has spent a lifetime in the Senate getting bill after bill passed, each one of which spends billions of dollars on stuff that people who vote for her think they want. On top of that she has financed the whole deal and placed the onus of paying it back on your kids and mine. As long as our kids don’t figure out what we have done to them looks like we are golden. And given what they are taught, or not taught, in HCPS I feel somewhat confident that we have a good chance they won’t figure it out anytime soon.
As far as that goes, Ms. Mikulski doesn’t have kids so it doesn’t matter to her anyway but let’s not go down that path right now.