Washington, D.C. - Leading members of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees joined together Wednesday to introduce bipartisan, bicameral patent reform legislation.

 

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a senior member of the panel, 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 Patent Reform Act of 2007.

 

The bill, which is similar to bipartisan legislation introduced last year, updates current patent laws to provide much needed reform for patent seekers and patent holders.

 

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.

 

"If we are to maintain our position at the forefront of the world's economy and continue to lead the globe in innovation and production, then we must have an efficient and streamlined patent system to allow for high quality patents that limits counterproductive litigation," said Leahy. "This bill is an important step towards achieving that goal."

 

"The patent system is the bedrock of innovation, especially in today's global economy," said Hatch.  "America's ingenuity continues to fund our economy, and we must protect new ideas and investments in innovation and creativity.  Patents encourage technological advancement by providing incentives to invent, invest in, and disclose new technology.  Now, more than ever, it is important to ensure efficiency and increased quality in the issuance of patents."

 

"The bottom line in this is there should be no question that the U.S. patent system produces high quality patents. Since questions have been raised about whether this is the case, the responsibility of Congress is to take a close look at the functioning of the patent system," said Berman.  "High patent quality is essential to continued innovation.  Litigation abuses, especially ones committed by those which thrive on low quality patents, impede the promotion of the progress of science and the useful arts.  Thus, we must act quickly to maintain the integrity of the patent system."

 

"Last year, we laid a strong foundation for this bill. Today, we build on that foundation. Few issues are as important to the economic strength of the United States as our ability to create and protect intellectual property. American IP industries account for over half of all U.S. exports, represent 40 percent of our economic growth and employ 18 million Americans. Strengthening intellectual property leads to economic growth, job creation and the type of creativity that has made America the envy of the world. The bill is a good first start," said Smith.  "It's not the final word. Legislation and modifications will be made during the legislative process."

 

The Patent Reform Act of 2007 is an update to patent reform legislation that was introduced last Congress.

 

Click here to see the text of the bill.

 

Click here to see a section-by-section summary of the bill.

 

Click here to see the text of Rep. Berman's statement.