Abstract
Drama is perhaps the last thing to expect at a hearing on a subject as dry as patent law. But at a recent standing-room-only hearing on patent terms, some witnesses were calm, cool, and collected, while others invoked God, bashed Japan, aired conspiracy theories, and shook their fists—in the name of patent protection. All of this was in response to H.R. 359, a bill introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), which attempts to overturn changes in patent protection that took effect earlier this year. Panels of the bill's supporters and detractors came prepared with numbers supporting their points of view and tales of dire consequences should the other side prevail. The House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Patents & Intellectual Property provided the forum for their debate. The term of a patent in the U.S. now ends 20 years from the earliest effective filing date claimed in the patent application. Prior to June 8, patents ...
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