Look who got into the publishing business – the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, that’s who.
Inventors Eye is a bimonthly e-zine for independent inventors and small entities. Not surprisingly, the debut February issue featured a cover story from USTPO Director David Kappos, extolling the virtue of – as he sees it – patent reform.
He argues that the pending patent reform bill (S. 515) “will be good for the independent inventor and small business communities,” a position that’s sure to raise hackles among his detractors.
The bill will lead to lower fees and faster and stronger patents, Kappos says. He also tackles the contentious issue of changing the current U.S. policy of first-to-invent to first-to-file.
“The chances that a patent will be subject to interference based on a first to invent claim—that’s our current system—is .01%. In 2007—the most recent year for which we have statistics—the total number of interference cases for all applicants, of all sizes that were decided based on a priority claim was seven!”
Change is never easy,” he concludes, “…But at the end of the day, I believe strongly that the pending legislation will be good for the independent inventor community, and I would urge you to support it.”
Other articles included tips on avoiding scams, a look at different type of sewing needle, and a listing of inventor groups.
Here were some of my questions to the USPTO staff:
Who’s putting this together?
How, given current budget constraints, is the office paying for this?
Will it go to an ad-based model?
Do you have an editorial calendar you could share?
To what extent is the e-zine a platform to push for patent reform? Will that be its primary mission going forward?
I’m still waiting to hear back.
