[Ip-health] Bush Administration response to Senate Patent Reform Bill

[Matthew Rimmer]

Bush Administration response to Senate Patent Reform Bill
http://www.ogc.doc.gov/ogc/legreg/letters/110/S1145020408.pdf

"The U.S. intellectual property system is the best in the world, and by som=
e estimates, U.S. intellectual property (IP) is now valued at more than $5 =
trillion. Therefore, any changes intended to improve our nation's intellect=
ual property system must be made carefully and thoughtfully. The Administra=
tion strongly supports passage of patent modernization legislation that fai=
rly balances the interests of innovators across all industries and technolo=
gies by improving patent quality, which will reduce excessive patent litiga=
tion costs and promote certainty among patent holders and users. The Admini=
stration continues to oppose Section 4, "Right of the Inventor to Obtain Da=
mages." Consequently, we continue to oppose S. 1145 - in its entirety - unl=
ess Section 4 is significantly revised, as we believe the resulting harm to=
 a reasonably well-functioning U.S. intellectual property system would outw=
eigh all the bill's useful reforms... At a time when we are actively encour=
aging our foreign trading partners to strengthen their IP protection and en=
forcement systems, this legislation may send the opposite signal - that we =
intend to weaken aspects of our current law that deter infringement."