DeGETTE APPLAUDS SELECTION OF DENVER FOR NEW PATENT OFFICE
Decision Underscores Colorado Economy as Leading Innovator

DENVER – Today U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-1) celebrated the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) selection of Denver to serve as home for one of three new satellite patent offices.  The new office is estimated to generate $440 million in economic development activity in the First District and across the state over the next five years.

Rep. DeGette’s statement is as follows: 

“Our most important task is to get Coloradoans back to work, so the decision to bring one of only three new satellite patent offices to Denver is a victory for our economy and for creating meaningful new jobs right here in our state.  Many of us have long known that Colorado is leading the nation with innovations in telecommunications, biomedical discovery, and clean energy technology – the types of innovations that will spark economic development and extensive job creation.  Today’s announcement is a welcome acknowledgement that Colorado’s entrepreneurial leadership is quickly becoming recognized by nation.

“From the beginning, this delegation fought hard for the inclusion of regional satellite patent offices in the America Invents Act of 2011. We knew that extending the capabilities of the USPTO would enable our nation to rapidly and more efficiently bring innovative breakthroughs to the marketplace, creating jobs and in some cases, perhaps generating entire new segments of economic growth.  Since the Act became law, the Colorado delegation has worked tirelessly to ensure that, as the USPTO made their decision, they knew the extraordinary capabilities and potential of the Denver-area and the entire state.  Today those efforts came to fruition and our state now stands on the cusp of generating $440 million in new economic development activity.

“In recent months, I’ve had the honor of meeting with businesses and entrepreneurs across the First District who are engaged in breakthrough innovations, and who will likely be some of the first to benefit from the USPTO’s new office. On behalf of those businesses and individuals, and for all the innovative minds who call the Denver-area home, I am proud today to welcome the USPTO to the great state of Colorado.”