INNOVATION and jobs have . become a modern version of motherhood and apple pie in Washington, dc. Everyone in America's capital wants lots more of both, or so they say. So how come Congress and the White House have decided not merely to underfund a crucial cog in American's innovation machine but actually to take away revenue it earns? And that at a time when that cog, the Patent and Trademark Office, is already struggling to keep up with the growing demands upon it? The recent budget deal for fiscal 2011 (the year to September 30th) allows the Patent Office to spend only $2.1 billion. That is less than it expects to collect in fees from applicants-$1oom or so will disappear instead into Treasury coffers-and far less than it needs to do its job properly.
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