New USPTO Leadership Bodes Well for Inventors
In February of 2018, attorney Andrei Iancu assumed his new role as the Director of the United States Patent Office. Since then, Director Iancu has proven himself a champion for inventors. Here are 5 quotes you should read that outline his view in strengthening the patent system.
Director Iancu is a true champion of the U.S. patent system and strong IP rights
“Our constitutional patent system has given rise to a spark of ingenuity and development the magnitude of which humanity has never before known. Electricity and the telephone; the automobile and the airplane; recombinant DNA and DNA synthesis; the microprocessor, genetics and cancer treatments. And so much more. And all of it done with American patents.1”
He recognizes threats to the patent system and how it has been weakened in recent years
“Yet today, our patent system is at a crossroads. For more than just a few years, our system has been pushed and pulled, poked and prodded. The cumulative result is a system in which the patent grant is less reliable today than it should be. This onslaught has come from all directions.2”
He is doing everything he can under his administrative authority at USPTO to improve the predictability and reliability of the U.S. patent system
“The benefits of a well-functioning patent system are unmistakable. Now, for that system to function as intended, the system must be, first and foremost, predictable and reliable. Among other things, and at the very minimum, folks need to know within a reasonable band of certainty, what subject matter is—and is not—patentable.
Then, once issued, the patent grant needs to predictably mean something to both patent holders and the public. Both the owner and the public need to be able to rely on the grant.3”
He is seeking to restore balance to the patent system and finding narrowly tailored solutions to address any abuses, instead of harming inventors with sweeping changes
“…[I]n our zeal to eliminate “trolls” and “the bad patents” they allegedly use to terrorize society, we have over-corrected and risk throwing out the baby with the bathwater. This must now end, and we must restore balance to our system. So instead of focusing exclusively on policies that highlight dangers in the system, we should focus on policies that encourage inventors and entrepreneurs. And when we do encounter abuses, we should address them promptly and with narrowly tailored solutions.4”
And he is changing the narrative to focus on the benefits of strong patents and rejecting the overblown patent troll narrative that has been pushed by those trying to weaken patent rights
“Repeatedly telling “patent troll” stories is indeed odd, especially when they’re being told to the people who have been responsible for the greatest advances in human history. The narrative must change. And, at least as far as the USPTO is concerned, it has now changed. We are now focusing on the brilliance of inventors, the excitement of invention, and the incredible benefits they bring to all Americans and to the world.5”
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- https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/remarks-director-iancu-eastern-district-texas-bar-association-inaugural-texas
- https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/remarks-director-andrei-iancu-us-chamber-commerce-patent-policy-conference
- https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/remarks-director-andrei-iancu-american-enterprise-institute
- https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/remarks-director-iancu-eastern-district-texas-bar-association-inaugural-texas
- https://www.uspto.gov/about-us/news-updates/remarks-director-iancu-eastern-district-texas-bar-association-inaugural-texas