PTO user fee retention for patent review included in Coble bill (HR 400) passed by subcommittee.

PTO USER FEE RETENTION LEGISLATION INCORPORATED INTO OMNIBUS patent legislation at a Mar. 5 mark-up of the House Judiciary/Intellectual Property Subcommittee. Subcommittee Chairman Coble's (R-N.C.) "Patent System Improvement Act" (HR 400) now includes a previously separate Coble measure (HR 673) permitting the Patent & Trademark Office to use all of its user fees on patent and trademark reviews. President Clinton's FY 1998 budget proposal would divert $92 mil. in PTO user fees to other government programs, up from $54 mil. in FY 1997 ("The Pink Sheet" March 3, T&G-4).