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New rules on continuations: coming to a CFR near you this July?

If the latest rumors are true, the USPTO may be giving inventors and patent prosecutors the newest summer blockbuster. According to Hal Wegner, on April 10, 2007, the USPTO submitted two rules to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, one related to continuation practice and "patentably indistinct claims," and another related to […]

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House subcommittee holds first hearings on Patent Reform Act of 2007

Yesterday a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, held the first hearings on the House version of the Patent Reform Act of 2007 (HR 1908). The witnesses were: Gary L. Griswold, President and Chief Counsel of Intellectual Property 3M Innovative Properties, St. Paul Minnesota (testimony on […]

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Patent Reform Act of 2007

As noted yesterday, four members of Congress (Leahy and Hatch in the Senate, Berman and Smith in the House) announced introduction of new patent reform legislation yesterday. Also as predicted yesterday, it is similar in many respects to patent reform legislation introduced in 2005 and 2006, but with a few new twists. More details of […]

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Congress to introduce patent reform bills today

In a press conference scheduled for 2:30 2:15 pm EDT this afternoon, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), with Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA) and Lamar Smith (R-TX), are expected to announce introduction of identical bills in both the House and Senate in an effort to reform the patent system. [Update (4/19): see this […]

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New rules limiting continuation applications coming soon?

According to multiple

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USPTO Director Jon Dudas talks patent reform

Over at ZDnet there is very good coverage of a recent speech about patent reform by USPTO director Jon Dudas. Mr. Dudas spoke at the Tech Policy Summit on the issue of whether the patent system was hurting innovation. Mr. Dudas stated that the biggest problem leading to bad quality patents is the obviousness requirement, […]

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Patent reform legislation: is this year the year?

Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the possibility of reform of the U.S. Patent system. Given that the title of the hearing was “American Innovation at Risk: The Case for Patent Reform,” it’s easy to surmise that the general theme of the hearing was that reform is needed. Dennis Crouch at Patently-O […]

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House passes pilot program for judges to volunteer for patent cases

Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R.34, a bill that would establish a pilot program that would enable district court judges who want to hear patent cases to volunteer for such cases as well as receive additional training on patent law. The bill now moves to the Senate, where some expect it will also […]

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New GAO report suggests that some patents may hamper development of new “innovative” drugs

A report released by the Government Accountability Office indicates that while expenditures on research and development by drug companies have increased, this has not resulted in a commensurate increase in new drug applications (NDAs) with the FDA. In fact, NDAs have decreased by 21% from 1999 to 2004. The larger concern raised by the report […]

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