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Senate That Cried Wolf Readies Fifth Try at Patent Law Changes

Bloomberg
February 2, 2011

Related Professionals: McNeill, Rebecca M.

Media Mention

This article discusses the fifth proposal in five years for legislation to overhaul U.S. patent laws. The bill hopes to make the process to patent an invention and reduce related lawsuits more effective than the current system, which has not been updated since 1952. Rebecca McNeill, of counsel at Finnegan, believes this most recent piece legislation has a greater chance of success than it’s predecessors. “Economics, the culture of the patent office, and the focus of the president might push this along in 2011 where it hasn’t in the past,” said McNeill. “There are differences in the state of affairs that may lead to passage this time.” According to the article, the previous bills did not pass due to “disagreements over limiting infringement damages and creating a new process for companies to challenge patents”, problems that the author believes will still be relevant to the current proposal.