Permanent Home for Silicon Valley Patent Office Put on Hold

The move to find a permanent home for the Silicon Valley branch of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been put on indefinite hold.
The General Services Administration, which manages the federal government’s office space, has formally canceled its effort to secure space for the local patent office. The GSA notified the office of Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, of its move Monday and has been contacting the property owners of the spaces it was considering, said Anthony Kusich, Honda’s communications director.
A GSA representative said Tuesday in an email the agency is postponing its search for space for the regional office due to “unforeseen budget changes.”
Carl Guardino, chairman of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, called the move “frustrating,” noting that the lobbying group and its allies in Congress had been working to set up a regional patent and trademark office in Silicon Valley for more than three years as a way to speed up the patent process.
“This smacks of politics, and it’s very disappointing,” Guardino said.