[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 22 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S490-S491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   OBSERVING NATIONAL INVENTORS' DAY

 Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, today I would like to focus 
attention on inventors. Senate Joint Resolution 140, Public Law 97-198, 
designated February 11, the anniversary of the birth of the inventor 
Thomas Alva Edison, as National Inventors' Day.
  Each year we recognize the contributions of those who use their 
imagination and skills to conceive, create, concoct, discover, devise, 
and formulate new devices, machines, and processes in order to receive 
patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
  Inventors play an enormously important role in promoting progress in 
every aspect of our lives. Invention and innovation are basic to the 
technological and manufacturing strength of the United States and our 
economic, environmental, and social well-being.
  The Constitution specifically provides for the granting of exclusive 
rights to inventors for their discoveries. During the First Congress, 
President George Washington prevailed upon the House and Senate to 
enact a patent statute and wisely advised that ``there is nothing which 
can better deserve your patronage than the promotion of science.''
  In our State, since our Nation's bicentennial, over 1,600 patents 
have been issued to Alaska residents. The ingenuity of our citizens is 
reflected in the variety of patents issued such as a vehicle escape 
tool; an ocean spill and contaminated sea ice containment, separation, 
and removal system; an audible fishing weight; and a fish pin bone 
removal apparatus--just to name a few.
  In recent years, over 500 new applications have been received by the 
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from Alaskans involving wells, 
hydraulic and earth engineering, and electric conductors and 
insulators.
  I applaud the efforts of support groups in Alaska such as the 
Inventors Institute of Alaska, Alaska Inventors and Entrepreneurs, and 
the Patent and Trademark Resource Center.
  The genius of inventors is key to our future. The next great American 
invention could be among the patent applications pending at the Patent 
Office.
  On the observance of National Inventors' Day, I urge all Alaskans to 
reflect on contributions of inventors and to take part in appropriate 
programs and activities.

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