Patent Office Wants To Open Up Shop In Silicon Valley… But Doesn't Want The Press To Know
from the why-not? dept
Well, this is odd. Cathy Gellis points us to the news that US Patent and Trademark Office director David Kappos was out in Silicon Valley recently and convened an event that involved inventors, executives, intellectual property lawyers and politicians — all discussing the idea of having the USPTO open a satellite office in Silicon Valley. You know who was missing from the meeting? The press. Apparently journalists were explicitly barred from attending, which reasonably upset some attendees.
?Why would you exclude the press from this?? said Neil Smith, an IP partner at Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley, who attended the event. ?He didn?t say anything untoward or particularly controversial. I didn?t hear anything they would want to keep away from the press.?
It really does seem kind of strange. Why would they be so afraid of the press being there? Personally, I think it would be a very good thing for the USPTO to open up an office here, as they might spend a bit more time with Silicon Valley folks who are intimately familiar with the problems of the patent system.
Filed Under: david kappos, press, silicon valley, uspto
Comments on “Patent Office Wants To Open Up Shop In Silicon Valley… But Doesn't Want The Press To Know”
My guess is that some patent troll has a business method patent covering the opening of satellite offices to better meet the needs of customers. The Patent Office doesn’t want anyone to know what they’re doing so that troll doesn’t sue them.
Because opening up to the public is something that a government that wants to serve the public interest would do. Our patent system is not intended to serve the public interest and our government has absolutely no intent on serving the public interest. That’s why they try to keep things like ACTA and TPP secret from the public, because they know that the public doesn’t want these laws (and, no, contrary to popular troll belief, it’s not because the public so desperately wants these laws that the govt doesn’t want to get our hopes up in case the laws don’t pass 🙂 )
“It really does seem kind of strange.”
They are afraid of you Mike.
The problem is that all the words that they are using are copy-written and they are afraid of getting caught on tape using words like is as and of.
I know I am not playing the game right!
Why does the press have to be at every meeting in the whole
&^% ((*&^% world. All they are going to do is lie and lean toward one side or the other. Are they really so arrogant to believe that something cannot be achieved with out their presence.
Maybe 'cause the press is not always helpful?
There may very well be nothing at all nefarious in not inviting the press. Perhaps the PTO wanted to do some info-gathering, and not have to spennd time fielding questions from reporters, as opposed to the peolpe they think will actually be using such a branch office.
And it sounds like the attendees were not in any way prohibited from talking about it.
HM
Patent problems
Such as the fact that it exists?
The reason is patently obvious! Heheheheh! He said patently!
They are trying to hide something! Like the salami. The one big enough to fit the public’s orifice.
Unfortunately, due to budgetary pressures, it looks like the rumored Silicon Valley patent office (along with its imminent Detroit counterpart) will be delayed, along with other initiatives.