skip to navigation | skip to content
Inslee listens to a constituent.

Montage of Wing Point in Bainbridge Island and the Edmonds Ferry.

Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District

Home > Issues > Technology > Patent & Trademark Fees

Issues

Technology

Modernizing Patent and Trademark Fees

16 October 2003

U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee joined the Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention (IP Caucus), along with several former Commissioners of the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), to hold a press conference urging the House Leadership to schedule a vote on H.R. 1561, "The United States Patent and Trademark Fee Modernization Act of 2003."

This badly needed legislation will enhance our nation's intellectual property infrastructure and, in return, pay dividends to the American economy. For more than two hundred years, the agency has helped secure the United States' economic success by empowering inventors such as Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers, and facilitating the registration of trademarks of American businesses. However, the Caucus is concerned that the agency is severely in need of additional resources and thus is in a true crisis. A workload crisis has been publicly acknowledged by its user groups and legal experts.

H.R. 1561 is necessary to fund the agency and its new initiatives through user fees, without appropriating any additional taxpayer money. This bill would help the PTO review patent applications in timely manner and better protect intellectual property rights. On July 25, 2003, H.R. 1561 passed the House Judiciary Committee on a voice vote and is ready for consideration by the full House of Representatives.

[ Read the text of the Patent and Trademark Fee Modernization Act ]

* You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view and print the legislation; download the free software here.

Inslee has been taking the lead in Congress to protect intellectual property by protecting intellectual property in foreign markets, and ensuring that other nations meet strong international obligations. In addition to his support of H.R. 1561, Inslee has: