I recently received an e-mail from Ron Katznelson, who is the Founder and President of Bi-Level Technologies in Encinitas, CA. Dr. Katznelson is a named inventor in more than 25 U.S. patents and his research and development interests include optimal signal design, digital RF signal processing, digital television, signal representation & sampling theory, intellectual property management and patent law. Over the past several years Dr. Katznelson has been heavily engaged in the patent reform debate, both with respect to reforms the Patent Office has attempted to implement and with respect to reforms that Congress has been considering. Dr. Katznelson is now attempting to gain support within the inventor and start-up community to request Congress to reconsider the First-to-File provisions that are currently within the current patent reform legislation, which is now pending and widely believed to be a done deal.

Dr. Katznelson believes, as many do, that the first-to-file provisions are not helpful to the independent inventor and start-up communities, and instead favor larger corporations. I have been on record for years saying that Congress would never pass a first-to-file law because it would substantially impair the ability of individuals, start-ups and research and development based companies to compete against extremely well-funded and established corporations. If the US patent system becomes a race to the Patent Office this will favor those who are capitalized and be an impediment to those small businesses and start-ups that are the life-blood of the US economy.

Dr. Katznelson is attempting to gain signatures on a letter that he will present to Congress in the coming days. The companies who have thus far signed the letter are largely unknown because they are in their early stages of development Any company who wishes to join the list by the close of business on Thursday, April 9, 2009, are welcome to do so by contacting him directly at rkatznelson@roadrunner.com. Send the full legal name of the company and city. For those who are not familiar with Dr. Katznelson, I can tell you that he is widely respected and can be taken seriously, so if you are inclined to agree with his position I would not hesitate to contact him and join in his efforts.

I would encourage everyone to read the full letter, but what appears below is the Detailed Concerns section of the letter explaining why it is believed that the First-to-File provisions are problematic (footnotes have been omitted).