PATENT REFORM ON THE MOVE

Abstract

LEGISLATION that would overhaul the nation’s patent system took another step toward enactment on April 14 when the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee gave strong bipartisan approval to a reform measure that has the backing of big chemical and pharmaceutical companies. The bill, H.R. 1249, was approved by a vote of 32-3 and would align the U.S. with other industrialized nations that use a “first to file” system, which awards patents to the inventor who filed an application first, rather than allowing a fight over who actually invented something first. It would also allow the Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) to set its own fees and prevent Congress from diverting the revenue raised by those fees to other unrelated government programs. Supporters say the bill will help ensure that the patent office has the resources it needs to hire more examiners and upgrade its technology. PTO has been struggling to deal with a huge ...