Crafting a 21st century United States Patent and Trademark Office.

• Author: Kappos, David
• Position: 2011 Earl F. Nelson Lecture - Evolving the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and Its Patent Law Jurisprudence

Good morning. It is a privilege to be here representing the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). I want to thank the Missouri Law Review for the invitation and for hosting me here today. Moreover, I want to commend the University of Missouri for convening this important conference. These are critical topics, and today I want to focus on the key role the USPTO will play in shaping patent protections in the future. But let me first congratulate the members from the Federal Circuit who are present today for thirty years of excellence in addressing the most fundamental of considerations within patent policy. Your ongoing engagement of IP issues is pivotal to our ability to work together as a community and promote a strong, balanced patent system. And your efforts not only work to safeguard generation-changing ideas in the marketplace, but on the larger scale they promote growth and new market opportunities for our country.

We in the IP community are not just in the IP business; we're in the economic development business, the growth business, and the jobs business. In an increasingly globalized world, innovation has come to be the premiere, sustainable source of competitive advantage for our businesses to flourish. Not only can a novel idea spark a human willingness to explore, but it can move the pulse of an industry just as readily as it transforms the welfare of a society. That is why a paramount priority at the USPTO has been a more simplified and streamlined process to acquire patent rights, ultimately enabling inventors to bring their ideas to fruition faster and compete in global markets sooner--while enhancing US competitiveness.

On Tuesday, President Obama held a business forum in Ohio outlining a vision of growth and technological prowess for America. But whether you're in Cleveland, Ohio, or Columbia, Missouri, one fact remains unshakably true: investing in and cultivating new technologies is the only means by which we will create more jobs and out-innovate our competitors. That's why it is crucial to understand that every major innovation, no matter what field, no matter what origin, has one thing in common--the first place they see the light of day is in the USPTO. So, if we're going to win America's future, and if we're going to unleash new and inventive ideas, then it is an economic necessity that we win through strong IP right protections and an even stronger Patent and Trademark Office.

Through that lens, I want to discuss the strategic vision and future of the USPTO and some initiatives we are working on that are fundamental to realizing a robust patent policy. I also want to take the time to hear from you and answer some questions. Many factors must come together for a nation to pull itself out of a recession. But if we want jobs and businesses to thrive in the United States, we have to invest in cutting edge research and technology. That means building the appropriate infrastructure to bring new products and services to the marketplace as fast as possible. It means unleashing new discoveries in an efficient manner, and it means sparking the imagination of our people. At the end of the day, there is no piece of our long-term economic growth strategy where innovation does not play a role.

And that makes IP the bedrock of our nation's growth. And over...