December 8, 2009
U.S. Speeding Up ‘Green’ Patent Process
A new pilot program from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeks to fast-track the review of “green” technology patents, a time-consuming process that often takes about 40 months under the current system.
The new system is expected to take about 12 months off the process, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“American competitiveness depends on innovation and innovation depends on creative Americans developing new technology,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said, in a press release.
“By ensuring that many new products will receive patent protection more quickly, we can encourage our brightest innovators to invest needed resources in developing new technologies and help bring those technologies to market more quickly,” Locke added.
The first 3,000 “green” patent applications to be filed will be eligible for the new system, along with about 25,000 applications already in the pipeline, reports CNET.
“Every day an important green tech innovation is hindered from coming to market is another day we harm our planet and another day lost in creating green businesses and green jobs,” Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos said, in the release.
Carl Horton, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel of General Electric, called the new program a “terrific mechanism” to speed the spread of patented technologies.
As a sign that companies once again view clean tech as a solid investment, a quarterly record of 274 U.S. clean energy patents were granted in the second quarter of 2009.
The biggest growth was in fuel cells, wind and solar, with Honda leading the way in number of patents granted.
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Reader Comments
Fact: American green energy innovation and ingenuity, science really, hasn’t been funded since 2001.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/inventions
New renewable energy inventors have no stimulus grant money to develop their inventions. The Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and in particular, Dr. Chu, has snuffed any new green energy advancements. Their agenda is to do research and development of product line for the multinational corporations and keep American innovation down.
Old patented green energy inventions were bought up by the multinational corporations and kept off of the market so that they would not upset their New World Order agenda. The last World conquer was Hitler.
Yes, it is a win- win for Communist China and the multinational corporations and a loss- loss for Democracy and Freedom and the American people. Remember, the American manufacturing base moved to China for cheap labor; (graduate engineer $7,000 a year and most everyone else $700 a year) their allegiance is now with Communist China.
Bush played the bad cop, Obama plays the good cop, but the fact is we are still on the same agenda. There is no change, the free press is gone. The treason of the multinational corporations and their owned and controlled congress continues. There will be no rebuilding of America’s manufacturing capabilities from the ground up with new inventions. There will only be more debt for the American people and dominance of our government by the multinational corporations New World Order agenda.
Ask your government representatives WHY there is no funding for new inventions (advancement in science) to build a new American economy.
Lawrence Baker | December 8th, 2009
HOW ABOUT FAST TRACKING NEW NUCLEAR PLANTS, SO WE DON’T HAVE TO SIT IN THE DARK AND FREEZE WAITING FOR RELIABLE BASELOAD POWER.
DR. JEFFREY M DOYLE | December 8th, 2009