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E C O N O M I C R E P O R T O F T H E P R E S I D E N T

Economic Report of the President - The American Presidency Project

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value of each network to its users. Where these new technologies will take usin the 21st century will only become evident over time, but by encouragingconnections between networks, government and the private sector can worktogether to provide a strong platform on which new ideas and newtechnologies can grow.The Role for Government PoliciesWe have seen how firms in a range of industries are now realizing some ofthe productivity gains that recent advances in information technology havepromised. For its part, this Administration remains committed to a policythat encourages innovation and competition in the private sector to thefullest extent possible. One element of that policy is establishing the rules forprotecting intellectual property rights to new products through patents.Although patents have been used to protect the property rights of inventorsin their inventions since the founding of the Republic, the last several yearshave seen an explosion in the number of patents granted in the United States(Chart 3-8). Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain this surge inpatent grants, including the possibility that it reflects today’s rapid pace oftechnological discovery. A recent court ruling clearly indicating thepatentability of computer software may also have encouraged the patentsurge.122 | Economic Report of the President

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