Giving it some thought
Have you ever spent time with an inventor?
I have, and without exception, they are enthusiastic to the point of being zealots.
I have had scientists and engineers breathlessly demonstrate their devices with a flourish usually reserved for parents presenting their first born. They are excited and proud and utterly convinced of the impact their inventions will have.
And I suppose that's what it takes to create something of whole cloth that has the power to change a process, or a product or, sometimes, the world. So it's a good thing that the America Invents Act is taking a stab at getting patents faster, if not easier, to inventors.
The act creates an expedited review process and discounted fees for small and micro entities to pursue protection for their novel ideas — a regulatory avenue that should shorten the typical 18- to 24-month waiting time to receive a patent to a year. It's one of the many changes the AIA enacts, which patent agent Dennis Haszko, an attorney with Eaton Peabody, lays out in "Patent reforms," starting on page 20, part of our focus on law. We also spend some time with lawyers at several firms who tell us how they're using social media and other marketing strategies to compete toe-to-toe with bigger law firms in Contributing Writer Leischen Stelter's piece, "Battling the big boys," starting on the cover.
Part of that approach is to recruit and hire experts so a law firm can present itself as an authority in a particular specialty. That strategy runs parallel to what many companies in the world of R&D are doing on a global level. Citing a persistent dearth of qualified scientists and others with post-graduate training, several companies are recruiting for vacancies internationally, bringing a whole new meaning to immigrant workers. These employees are highly trained and critical to Maine companies such as The Jackson Laboratory, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Fairchild Semiconductor to remain competitive with global rivals. Read Staff Writer Rebecca Goldfine's exploration of this issue in our cover piece, "Opening doors."
Speaking of maintaining our footing in a global market, check out Contributing Writer Sara Anne Donnelly's piece on the paradigm shift in manufacturing that has the potential to give Maine an edge in the cluster industries we're trying to support. There's a tipping point where increasing operating costs and the added complexities of outsourcing manufacturing flips to the United States' advantage. According to one Boston-based study, that day isn't far off. Read "Shifts expected in manufacturing," starting on the cover.
It's just the thing to counter that tryptophan-induced lethargy from Thanksgiving's leftovers.
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