Bob Bain Comments on Patent Backlog

Senniger Powers attorney Bob Bain is quoted in the April 9, 2010 Nashville Business Journal article "Patent Backlog Forces Companies to Innovate, Then Wait." Mr. Bain says that the average time of 34 months that it takes for a patent to be approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), or be abandoned by the applicant, has a "chilling effect" on business development because the delay in receiving a patent deprives companies of the leverage they need to pursue and protect their ideas. Mr. Bain says that while large companies work for competitive leverage, small companies sometimes need a patent to get off the ground and that can be "the difference between success and failure for a start-up." The USPTO acknowledges that patent pendency times are a serious problem. The agency's fiscal year 2011 budget reflects significant funds directed at implementing measures to reduce the patent inventory backlog.