The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“World Intellectual Property Day (Executive Session)” mentioning Patrick J. Leahy was published in the Senate section on pages S2188-S2189 on April 26.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
World Intellectual Property Day
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, as we finally, finally begin to turn the corner on the coronavirus pandemic, we have the hard work of rebuilding our economy.
One of the core engines of the American economy is intellectual property. From the smallest startup to the largest multinational company, intellectual property is central to creating jobs, boosting economic output, and protecting consumers. So it is appropriate that, today, we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day, which recognizes the important role that intellectual property plays in promoting innovation, creativity, and economic growth.
This year's World IP Day theme celebrates the contributions of small- and medium-sized businesses to the global marketplace. Why? Well, these small enterprises make up 90 percent of the world's businesses. Whether through protecting their brands with trademarks or their inventions with patents, intellectual property allows these small companies to grow and succeed; yet, here at home, far too many Americans with an entrepreneurial spirit find key elements of the intellectual property system out of their reach.
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property--and I am privileged to chair that--held an important hearing to find ways to boost access in the patent system. We know that women and people of color are chronically underrepresented in the patent system, which results in a serious loss to our economy.
I am particularly proud that this hearing featured testimony from Georgia Grace Edwards, a Middlebury College graduate and entrepreneur, who realized that, after spending a summer in Alaska and 8 to 12 hours at a time on ice, she was at a serious disadvantage when it came to answering nature's call during her treks. Like so many innovators before her, Georgia Grace got to work in designing a new zipper--in sense, it was such a great thing--that could be incorporated into a variety of women's pants.
Now, while she was ultimately able to successfully navigate the patent system and secure protection for her idea, here is the problem. She faced a number of barriers along the way: the high cost of obtaining a patent, particularly from legal fees; a lack of knowledge about how the patent system works; and the lack of representation of women throughout the system.
Ten years ago, Congress enacted the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, which put structures in place to help access the patent system and bring up a far more diverse set of inventors into the innovation economy, and at our hearing, we heard specific ideas for building on the success of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.
As the President awaits nominating the next Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, I want him to choose a nominee who shares a commitment to increasing access. It is not just the huge companies that need it; it is the small inventors.
It is important that the next Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office respect the law, including the statutory bounds set by Congress. You know, the last administration took steps to undermine the Leahy-Smith Act. They acted outside those statutory bounds.
I have always sought to curb the potential for poor-quality patents to be abused. That drove much of the work we did 10 years ago. So I look forward to supporting a nominee for PTO Director who shares my view that it is important to weed out poor-quality patents, avoid the potential for abuse, but at the same time reinforce the protection provided to high-quality patents.
We must also work to ensure that hard-working small business owners and creators who rely on copyright protections to make a living are able to protect their works online.
While I appreciate the steps that some online platforms are taking to address the persistent problem of online infringement, much like the issue of diversity in the patent system, more work needs to be done.
Last month, I joined with Senator Tillis and other members of the IP Subcommittee, and we sent a letter to major online platforms outlining specific voluntary measures they could adapt to crack down on online infringement. I hope that on World IP Day, the leaders of these online platforms will take a moment to consider the plight of the individual songwriter or photographer or the independent film producer and give serious thought to steps they can take to ensure that creators can adequately protect their works online. You know, for these small and independent creators, nothing short of their livelihoods is at stake.
Finally, I want to recognize the important work our IP system does to protect consumers. The trademark system helps to guide consumers in finding which products are legitimate but also which are not.
Unfortunately, fraudsters are relentless in exploiting opportunities to fool consumers into buying counterfeit products, and that has been especially dangerous during the global pandemic. Just last month, authorities seized more than 65,000 counterfeit 3M N95 masks--not like the real one I am holding. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. As the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am committed to ensuring that Customs and Border Patrol has the resources it needs to respond to the ever-evolving counterfeiting threat. A diverse, accessible, and effective intellectual property system that rewards creativity and innovation is essential to our Nation's continued prosperity, and I look forward to working with Ranking Member Tillis and the other members of the IP Subcommittee, as well as with the Appropriations Committee, to both celebrate the achievements of American inventors and ensure that their contributions are being protected
Alerts Sign-up