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The Sunnyvale Center for Innovation, Invention and Ideas was on the chopping block to close, but the Sunnyvale City Council granted it a reprieve until June 30, 2005. I say let's take it off the block and put it on the mantel instead. Sc[i]3 is an organization to be prized, not discarded.
What most people in the city of Sunnyvale and those in the intellectual property community don't realize is what a unique resource Sc[i]3 (pronounced "sci-cubed") is for the West Coast. It's one of three in partnership with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office in the whole United States. The other locations are in Texas and Illinois. If Sc[i]3 goes, so does this one-of-a-kind West Coast resource.
No where else, except in Texas and Illinois, can Bay Area businesses sit down locally and converse face-to-face with examiners at the patent office in Washington, D.C. However, through Sc[i]3's unique partnership, videoconferencing equipment and secured government line; inventors, attorneys, paralegals and secretaries can attend high-resolution seminars taught by patent examiners, conduct what's called "interviews" to talk about the merits of applications, or appear before the patent or trademark appeals boards.
It's an invaluable alternative to traveling to Washington, D.C.--saving airfare and hotel expenses, as well as time.
It's also the West Coast's lifeline to influencing examiners' interpretations of law and to learning about new developments at the patent office, even before they are announced to the general public.
What all this means for the average person is that Sc[i]3 helps Silicon Valley's economy and the IP community to file patents easier, better and faster--this translates to a cure for cancer or a life saving medical device being on the market that much sooner.
The newly formed Sc[i]3 Support Group, led by Mikio Ishimaru, is working on saving Sc[i]3 but we can't do it alone. We are conducting a donation drive and sending press releases throughout the Bay Area about Sc[i]3's plight. Everyone needs to pitch in to save Sc[i]3 ... as a very special resource.
Donations can be made payable to "Friends of Sc[i]3," c/o The Law Offices of Mikio Ishimaru, 1110 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Suite A1, Sunnyvale, CA 94087. Friends of Sc[i]3 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation and all donations are fully tax deductible.
Suzan Lindstrom is lead of the marketing committee of Sc[i]3 Support Group.
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