[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 44 (Monday, November 6, 1995)]
[Page 1966]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing Biotechnology Process Patent Legislation

November 1, 1995

    I am pleased to sign into law S. 1111, a bill to provide enhanced 
protection of biotechnology process patents. This bill will update 
current patent law to provide the protection American biotechnology 
companies need to continue developing new products. American consumers 
will benefit from improvements in the diagnosis, cure, or treatment of 
disease and from the production of healthier, more abundant foods.
    Process patents are especially important in biotechnology, since 
part of the genius of that field is to produce commercial quantities of 
breakthrough products through new and inventive processes. If the 
innovative process used to make a biotechnology product is not protected 
by patent, American biotechnology will remain vulnerable to foreign 
imitation. This bill will provide necessary new protection for 
processes, spurring innovation and keeping American jobs in America.
    In less than two decades, the biotechnology industry has created 
more than 100,000 high-wage American jobs and it now generates annual 
sales of over $7 billion. Originating in the United States, 
biotechnology has already produced life-saving drugs that dissolve blood 
clots in heart attack victims and treat anemia in patients suffering 
from chronic kidney failure. It has helped produce disease-resistant 
plants, more nutritious foods, effective waste treatment systems, and 
methods to clean and protect the environment. American companies working 
to commercialize breakthrough products should not be required to face 
unfair competition from overseas.
    This bill addresses the need for current patent laws to keep pace 
with the rapid growth in biotechnology. It was passed with the strong 
support of this Administration and broad bipartisan support in the 
Congress. I am pleased to sign S. 1111 into law to ensure the continued 
development of important products for American consumers and continued 
U.S. job growth in this field.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
November 1, 1995.

Note: S. 1111, approved November 1, was assigned Public Law No. 104-41.