November 2011

Source: Information Systems for Biotechnology
Author: Phill Jones

In the midst of economic crises, members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate pushed for a reform of patent laws. On September 8, the Senate approved the House version of the bill without amendment by an 89 to 9 vote. President Obama signed the Patent Reform Act of 2011 (the Leahy- Smith America Invents Act) into law. PTO director David Kappos declared that the Act marks the most comprehensive renovation to U.S. patent law since 1836. The Patent Reform Act offers opportunities for inventors, as well as pitfalls for the unwary. The PTO will have to devise rules to implement-and in some cases, interpret-the Act's provisions. Supporters of the legislation boasted that the Patent Reform Act will increase employment. Patent attorneys may well be the first beneficiaries of the new patent law.

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Website: http://www.vt.edu

Published: December 6, 2011