CCIA released more detailed separate recommendations for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In both reports CCIA points out that the America COMPETES Act remain unfunded and the trade association asks for funding for those measures.
NIST and USPTO are the two agencies most responsible for operationalizing innovation policy. They deserve attention and coordination from the top. CCIA said that NIST in particular should provide support for the Administration’s innovation policy, because of the diversity of its portfolio.
“Patentable inventions and standards are both important components of innovation. We must ensure that they do not work at cross-purposes,” said Brian Kahin, CCIA senior fellow.
There have been growing conflicts between standards and patents at multiple levels. These conflicts have been addressed by the FTC but not by NIST or USPTO.
“The complexity and rapid evolution of information technology creates special challenges for the patent system and for standardization. The abuses and deficiencies of the patent system are the most severe in IT. The development of new products and markets in IT depends heavily on the efficiency and integrity of standards development and implementation,” Kahin said.
