U.S. Chamber Outlines Support for Patent Bill

In Letter to Lawmakers, Josten Calls for House to Approve Legislation for Sake of American Jobs, Competitiveness

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Vice President for Government Affairs, Bruce Josten, outlined the Chamber’s support for the patent bill – the America Invents Act (H.R. 1249) – in a letter to the House today.

“If we’re going to turn this economic recovery into a jobs recovery, it’s going to start with increasing our country’s competitiveness,” Josten said. “This legislation is an important first step toward doing just that, as it will help drive America’s economic growth, create jobs, and increase our competitiveness.”

The Chamber has long recognized the major challenges facing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which have hampered the agency’s ability to expeditiously issue high quality patents. Josten’s letter pointed out that this legislation provides the USPTO with the tools and resources it needs to address the current backlog of 1.2 million applications waiting for a final determination and to reduce the current pendency time of 3 years, which is essential to encouraging innovation and bolstering the U.S. economy.

“We also applaud the important legal reforms contained in this bill,” Josten said. “They will help reduce unnecessary litigation against American businesses and innovators.”

“We commend the bill’s sponsors for their work on this important legislation and urge the House leadership to schedule a vote on this important legislation expeditiously,” he said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

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