WASHINGTON – February 5, 2018 – BSA | The Software Alliance praises the Senate for confirming Andrei Iancu as the next Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office today. Balanced intellectual property (IP) laws and practices encourage the research and development (R&D) that drives innovation. The software industry supports 10.5 million US jobs and invests $63 billion in R&D, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of all business R&D in the United States. Policies that properly protect IP are critical to maintaining this investment. We look forward to working with Director Iancu.