United States Patent and Trademark Office announced today (press release) that it plans to open in 2013 satellite offices in Dallas, Denver and San Jose. The PTO opened its first, and only other, satellite office in Detroit this year.
According to the PTO:
The four offices will function as hubs of innovation and creativity, helping protect and foster American innovation in the global marketplace, helping businesses cut through red tape, and creating new economic opportunities in each of the local communities.
Selection of the four sites was based upon a comprehensive analysis of criteria including geographical diversity, regional economic impact, ability to recruit and retain employees, and the ability to engage the intellectual property community, among others. The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011 (AIA), signed into law by President Obama in September, requires the USPTO to establish regional satellite locations as part of a larger effort to modernize the U.S. patent system over the next three years.
Establishing additional offices around the country helps the USPTO recruit and retain patent examiners and Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) judges, which is vital to reducing the patent application and board of appeal backlogs. Ultimately, this ensures that American innovation gets to the marketplace faster, creates jobs, and equips the USPTO to better engage the applicant community.
Cynics might say that the selection of the sites was driven by politics — which surely explains how the hometown of George W. Bush was chosen by the Obama administration.
According to the PTO the cities were selected (selection criteria) for the following reasons:
The Dallas area provides the USPTO with a southern, central time zone hub from which to operate. The region is exceedingly rich in engineering talent, patent applicants, and patent grants. Dallas boasts an above average population of potential Veteran employees.
The Denver area provides the USPTO with a mountain time zone hub from which to operate. Empirical evidence demonstrates that Denver is a sought-after place to live and work with relatively low cost-of- living—a critical combination for the recruitment and retention of top talent. Further, the economic impact of a USPTO satellite office in the Denver region is projected to be disproportionate relative to most other cities. Denver also boasts an above average population of potential Veteran employees.
Silicon Valley provides the USPTO with a pacific time zone hub in the heart of California’s most vibrant innovation center. Silicon Valley, and the areas that surround it, contain many of the USPTO’s top filers as well as legions of start-up and small tech companies that depend on the USPTO. Further, Silicon Valley’s great quality of life and abundant population of engineering talent will provide fertile recruiting grounds for the Agency. The USPTO recognizes the challenges of retention in a hyper-competitive market, and will work to construct a concept of operations for the three offices that recognizes such challenges.
Members of the Dallas business, legal and educational communities in support of Dallas’ selection submitted this letter to the PTO in January in response to the the PTO’s request for comments on additional satellite offices, which mentions many more reasons for why a satellite office in Dallas makes sense.
The Hub of IP 