South Bay Delegation Lobbies For Silicon Valley Patent Office
SAN JOSE (KCBS) – More than 60 Silicon Valley CEO's and public officials traveled to in Washington D.C. to discuss key legislative priorities Wednesday. One of the top issues is easing some of the stumbling blocks that companies in the Bay Area face.
"The highest priority for me on this trip is the United States Patent and Trademark Office, because San Jose's got an application in for a branch office of the USPTO, and we want to talk to them about that and figure out how we can strengthen our application," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, who is leading the delegation.
KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:
Stephen Wright of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which sponsors the annual trip, said that having a local patent office would really speed up the process.
"Silicon Valley creates more patents than any other region in the country," said Wright. "It accounts for about 12 percent of all of the patents nationwide. And those patents are the life-blood of Silicon Valley."
Wright said that right now it takes about three years for a patent to be approved through Washington D.C.
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