House and Senate Focus on Moving ForwardThe Senate may begin debate on Patent Reform this week once the FAA Re-authorization Bill is settled. After last week’s hearing in the House, it appears that a second bill will also emerge.During a recent C-SPAN taping, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va) has indicated that he will be taking the lead for House Republicans on the creation of new patent reform legislation. It seems that the motivation behind the bill is to accelerate the process. Rep. Goodlatte was reported as stating:…..lawmakers are working in a bipartisan, bicameral way to decide which patent reforms can enhance job growth and stand a good chance of passing Congress and being signed into law by the president. Goodlatte said the most likely focus would be on improving the efficiency of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by increasing the speed and quality of the patent process. He acknowledged the Obama administration’s recent plan for reforming the process but said legislation would likely be necessary. When asked about his primary concern for any legislation Goodlatte said the patent process is better at handling drugs and other products that use single patents, but less equipped to deal with technology products that often incorporate dozens or even hundreds of patents. (Source: Hillicon Valley 2/13/11)It remains to be seen whether or not a competing bill in the House will truly help refine the issues, or just create more of the same familiar morass of the past few yea
The Senate may begin debate on Patent Reform this week once the FAA Re-authorization Bill is settled. After last week’s hearing in the House, it appears that a second bill will also emerge.
During a recent C-SPAN taping, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va) has indicated that he will be taking the lead for House Republicans on the creation of new patent reform legislation. It seems that the motivation behind the bill is to accelerate the process. Rep. Goodlatte was reported as stating:
…..lawmakers are working in a bipartisan, bicameral way to decide which patent reforms can enhance job growth and stand a good chance of passing Congress and being signed into law by the president.
Goodlatte said the most likely focus would be on improving the efficiency of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by increasing the speed and quality of the patent process. He acknowledged the Obama administration’s recent plan for reforming the process but said legislation would likely be necessary. When asked about his primary concern for any legislation Goodlatte said the patent process is better at handling drugs and other products that use single patents, but less equipped to deal with technology products that often incorporate dozens or even hundreds of patents. (Source: Hillicon Valley 2/13/11)
It remains to be seen whether or not a competing bill in the House will truly help refine the issues, or just create more of the same familiar morass of the past few years.