[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 54 (Thursday, April 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3981-S3982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to the first celebration of ``World Intellectual 
Property Day.''
  Last fall, the World Intellectual Property Organization dedicated 
April 26th as ``World Intellectual Property Day'' with the objective of 
highlighting the valuable contributions intellectual property makes to 
economic, cultural and social development and to raise public awareness 
of just what intellectual property is all about.
  Intellectual property, which includes patents, trademarks and 
copyright protections, is hardly a household phrase, but its 
significance to all Americans should not be underestimated. 
Intellectual property is really about creativity and innovation; it is 
about ideas that start out as just a dream, but then go on to become 
the creations and products that enrich our daily lives and improve our 
standard of living.
  Included among our Founding Fathers' many accomplishments were the 
express intellectual property protections of Article 1, Section 8 of 
our Constitution. This section is so seemingly simple, ``to promote the 
progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times 
to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective 
writings and discoveries'', but it has done more to shape our Nation's 
economic growth than almost any other provision in the Constitution.
  Indeed, one of the most significant results of this constitutional 
provision was the creation of the U.S. patent system. Today, more than 
six million patents have been issued, for inventions

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ranging from Farnsworth's cathode ray tube to the airplane to life-
saving pharmaceuticals. The value of our patent system was perhaps best 
summarized by President Abraham Lincoln, himself a patent holder, when 
he noted that it ``adds the fuel of interest to the spark of genius.''
  We also are world leaders in copyrighted works. Books, movies, music, 
and other examples of American creativity entertain and enlighten the 
world, and make a generous contribution to our balance of trade.
  Our country's technological prowess and our high standard of living 
stem from the creativity, determination, and entrepreneurial drive of 
our citizens and the protection we provide for their creations. So, 
today, as nations around the world mark ``World Intellectual Property 
Day,'' let us take pride in the fact that our intellectual property 
system is recognized as the most effective in the world. As we look to 
the future, let us also pledge ourselves to ensuring that the United 
States remains the world's pre-eminent provider and protector of 
intellectual property.

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