Schiff Statement on Fee Diversion Provision of the America Invents Act
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-29) released the following statement on the Fee Diversion Provision included in the Manager’s Amendment to the America Invents Act:
“The biggest problem with our patent system is the large and onerous backlog of patent applications. This backlog stifles innovation and undermines our economic competitiveness. The underlying bill ended the practice of fee diversion which has robbed the patent office of nearly $1 billion in patent fees that could have been used to solve this problem. Unfortunately, the compromise reached on fee diversion is not strong enough to end the practice of fee diversion, which hamstrings the PTO. By not providing a compelling mechanism to prevent Congress from repurposing patent fees towards other priorities, there is no assurance that the PTO will have sufficient resources to reduce the patent backlog or implement the many new provisions contained in the America Invents Act.”
Schiff serves on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for setting all funding priorities for the federal government. He currently sits on the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
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