Patent reform gets Senate green light
On March 9, the US Senate approved what could be the first major reform of US patent law in almost 60 years.
The America Invents Act, also known as the Patent Reform Act of 2011, was passed with a majority of 95 to 5.
Senator Patrick Leahy introduced the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee in January. Its aims include moving the US from a first-to-invent system for awarding patents to a first-to-file system, harmonising it with other jurisdictions.
Alexander Poltorak, founder and president of America Inventors for Patent Reform, a trade association that is opposed to the patent reform in its current state, said: “[W]e are not ready to support this bill...Its new name notwithstanding, the America Invents Act is still anti-inventor and anti-small business legislation. The fight now moves to the House.”
The America Invents Act must now gain the approval of the US Congress.
