Patent reform saga opens in Senate
Executive Summary
Work on patent reform legislation begins in the Senate June 6 with hearings by the full Judiciary Committee. Although crafted by a bipartisan group of leaders from the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the bill remains a work in progress (1"The Pink Sheet" April 23, 2007, p. 8). Provisions limiting damage awards for patent infringement and lengthening the time frame for patent challenges remain open issues. A procedural maneuver kept the original bill intact when it moved out of the Courts, Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee in May, and subcommittee chairman Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., has pledged to reach a compromise to facilitate passage of the legislation this year (2"The Pink Sheet" May 21, 2007, p. 13)...