Patent Reform Act of 2007 scheduled for consideration this monthFebruary 1, 2008

The Patent Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1145) is now officially back on the radar. It was recently placed on the Senate's calendar, and is likely to be considered by the full Senate sometime this month. This has resulted in a corresponding increase in the lobbying efforts by those on both sides of the debate.

Click below for more detail regarding the various lobbying efforts, as well as additional commentary on the bill.

The Innovation Alliance, who generally opposes the currently-proposed reforms, has coordinated with its members to send letters explaining the problems with the Patent Reform Act to Senators from its members' home states.

In addition, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has released a study indicating that the three papers most frequently cited as showing a "need" for patent reform are not actually based on emprical data, but instead rely largely on "conjecture, anecdotes and individual publicized cases." According to the study, the empirical data actually show that the patent system is working to promote innovation, and that the problems asserted are being solved with market-based solutions and via the courts. Below are the relevant links:

There has also been a resurgence of news and commentary on the subject:

The debate keeps getting more heated as the bill appears to get closer to passage. We'll continue monitoring the bill's progress.

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