High Tech Inventors Alliance Applauds BIG Data for

Washington D.C., May 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The High Tech Inventors Alliance (HTIA) has issued the following statement in support of the BIG Data for IP of 2018 Act. Representatives Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Hank Johnson (D-GA) introduced the bill in the House of Representatives today:

The High Tech Inventors Alliance applauds Representatives Steve Chabot and Hank Johnson for their sponsorship of the Building Innovation Growth Through Data for Intellectual Property “BIG Data for IP” Act of 2018.

The bill renews the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) fee setting authority for patent review under the America Invents Act (AIA) of 2011. This mechanism has allowed the USPTO to develop an operating reserve needed for investment in long-term information technology upgrades. The bill also mandates the USPTO to make a transition to modern IT systems a priority. That includes enhancing the office’s use of Artificial Intelligence and other advanced analytical tools.

John Thorne, General Counsel of HTIA, said, “The BIG Data for IP Act addresses an issue critical to America’s economic future – the quality of American patents. Innovation cannot flourish without a patent system that grants patents for genuine inventions.  Providing the PTO certainty over its budget to modernize its IT systems and adopt cutting edge data analytics tools, will allow for further advancements to the patent examination process. Better tools lead to more effective examinations, which help reduce instances of invalid patents impeding innovation.

  The High Tech Inventors Alliance is comprised of eight technology companies: Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, Dell, Google, Intel, Oracle and Salesforce. These companies have over 447,000 employees in the United States, have invested $62.9 billion in research and development in the past year and hold a total of over 115,000 U.S. patents.

Eileen Doherty High Tech Inventors Alliance 202-295-2315 edoherty@whwg.com