This Op-Ed just caught my attention: U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Intel CEO and President Paul Otellini co-wrote a piece, "Opinion: Fully Funding the Patent Office is a Key to Economic Recovery," for the San Jose Mercury News a few days ago.

The importance of this issue is underscored by the fact that these two prominent individuals teamed up to make their points loud and clear in Silicon Valley: intellectual property is a driver of innovation, critical to the economy, and an engine of job creation. The two argue specifically for an end to patent "fee diversion," which shifts funds paid by patent fees from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to other government projects.  As a result, the USPTO is underfunded and has a terrible backlog of unexamined and pending patents--1.2 million and counting.

As noted in my previous blog post, there are some who want to eliminate the patent system altogether.  Bad idea.  But the patent system does need to be modernized and funded.  We'll certainly be hearing more about this issue throughout 2009.