Gregnews: Patent fee diversion lawsuit hearing 2002-11-14

[PILCH Hartmut <phm@a2e.de>]

Greg has been ranting against the "theft" of patent office revenues by
Congress many times.  He now quotes a patent professional as saying:

> Next Thursday, November 14, 2002, the Court of Federal Claims will hear
> oral arguments in Figueroa v. U.S.  This case challenges Congress'
> unprecedented practice of increasing, diverting and rescinding patent
> fees to offset unrelated spending.  The Constitution grants Congress
> thevpower "to promote the progress of science and the useful arts".
> Unfortunately, these practices do no such thing.  They effect a tax
> against inventors and innovative companies.

Indeed this ("tax against .. innovative companies") can be said of the
patent system as a whole.  I wish the perception of patent professionals
was less selective.

-- 
Hartmut Pilch, FFII & Eurolinux Alliance              tel. +49-89-12789608
Protecting Innovation against Patent Inflation       http://swpat.ffii.org/
125,000 signatures against software patents      http://www.noepatents.org/