U.S. patent office to hang a shingle in Silicon Valley
After years of lobbying, the tech hub is about to get a satellite patent office in its back yard.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is coming to Silicon Valley in hopes of fostering more efficient patent applications in the tech world.
The office announced that it is opening three more satellite offices throughout the country, including one in heart of California's tech hub. The PTO is already set to open a satellite office in Detroit on July 13 as a part of recent patent reform legislation, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.
Silicon Valley leaders have been lobbying for a satellite office for three years, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The area accounted for almost one in 8 of all U.S. patents registered in 2010.
Commerce Department officials will be in town next week to meet with local businesses, entrepreneurs and public officials to discuss the new office openings.
"Intellectual property protection and innovation are engines of economic growth and the bedrock of America's private sector," acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank said in the press release. "The Obama administration is committed to making certain our businesses and entrepreneurs have the resources they need to grow, create jobs and compete globally. These new offices are an historic step toward further advancing our world's best IP system, and reinforcing the United States as the number one destination for innovation capital, and research and development around the world."
The other cities involved in the expansion are Dallas and Denver. Although hundreds of cities applied, the four were chosen based on geographical diversity, regional economic impact, the cities' abilities to recruit and retain employees, and engage the intellectual property community, the release said.