Listening to Obama's inauguration speech today, I noted two portions that could relate to patent law and innovation policy. In thinking about governmental offices and programs, Obama is looking to (1) consider whether programs work and (2) change (or eliminate programs that don't work). Along this same line, government programs should be prepared to act transparently:
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The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works. . . . Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. |
Of course, the patent office remains in need of both a dramatic increase in transparency and focused reform in a few key areas.
As Lincoln did, Obama also recognized the value of the spirit of invention as one of the key and ongoing strengths of the American people:
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Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. |
