Senate Judiciary Panel Passes Bipartisan Patent Reform Bill
In 13-5 Vote, Judiciary Committee Overwhelmingly Supports Long-Overdue Overhaul Of U.S. Patent System
WASHINGTON (Thursday, July 19) – The Senate Judiciary Committee late Thursday voted 13-5 to report out a bipartisan bill that represents the first significant reforms to the nation’s patent system in several decades.
“The Judiciary Committee today took an important step to ensuring the continuing competitiveness of our innovation economy,” said Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). “With the thoughtfulness and care that characterizes the Committee at its best, we have reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that our Nation’s patent laws promote and protect the inventiveness of all of our industries.” Leahy cosponsored the bill with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a senior member of the panel.
The Committee has been marking up the comprehensive patent bill for the past several weeks. With the Committee’s vote Thursday evening, the bill moves to the full Senate for consideration. Earlier this week, the House Judiciary Committee reported out a similar bipartisan reform bill.
Among many important reforms, the bill would create a pure “first-to-file” system to bring needed clarity and certainty to the U.S. patent system. The American system is the only one in the world that still grants patents to the first inventor rather than the first to file an application. The bill also creates a more streamlined and effective way of challenging the validity and enforceability of patents, Leahy said.
Earlier this year, Leahy and Hatch joined with Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee\'s Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, to introduce the bicameral, bipartisan Patent Reform Act of 2007.
7月，参议院司法委员会已经以13－5，通过了这个“the bicameral, bipartisan Patent Reform Act of 2007” 两院、两党的改革法案。
那现在距离参院通过这个法案也该不远了。 |
