by Mark Malek

Well, I’ve heard this one before – the Patent Reform Act is moving forward.  This is something that has been, allegedly, moving forward for years.   The article that I read noted that patent reform has been introduced in each of the last three Congresses.  Does this one have a chance of passing?  There’s really no telling.

Senators Leahy and Hatch have been big proponents of patent reform over the years.  I appreciate that they realize the importance of intellectual property.  Over the years, the various versions of the patent reform act have attempted to address issues such as moving to a “first to file” system, damages, and third party comments on pending patent applications.  This proposed bill addresses those issues, as well as others allowing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to set fees in an attempt to address the backlog problem.

Read more...