America Invents Act Gets Praise From Higher Education Institutions

September 19, 2011

On September 8, 2011, six higher education related institutions released a joint statement endorsing the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act as passed by the Senate. The six institutions are the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, the Association of University Technology Managers Council on Governmental Relations. The statement is up at the American Council on Education website. Interesting quote:

We appreciate that the concerns of universities and medical colleges were addressed in ways that ensure our institutions’ ability to carry out their public missions. These institutions are the nation’s principal source of the basic research that expands the frontiers of knowledge. The patent system plays a pivotal role in helping them transfer the discoveries made in their laboratories to the commercial sector for development into products and processes that benefit society. The associations’ position on patent reform closely followed recommendations by academic and industry leaders convened by the National Academies in 2004.