Changes

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, small businesses with less than 20 employees made up 89.6 percent of employer firms in the United States in 2012. [http://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/] Small firms produce more patents per employee than large companies and help drive innovation in the United States economy. The patents they develop have a greater impact and are often more technologically important than those of large firms. [http://www.imamidejo.si/resources/files/doc/analiza%20patentov%20v%20msp%20usa.pdf] The Small Business Administration reported that "although small firms account for only 8 percent of patents granted, they account for 24 percent of the patents in the top 100 emerging clusters." [http://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/] Because small businesses and emerging companies are not always able to protect their patents on their own and account for much of the innovation driving emerging industries today, they need patent assertion entities who have the power to protect their patents for them.