Tech Industry Unhappy With US Patent Reform Bill

The high technology remains unconvinced by efforts in the United States Senate to reform US patent laws, a Washington tech industry association said today, as debate on the bill began on the Senate floor.

“Since much in S.23 remains unchanged from S.515 as amended last year, it is no less controversial and remains a source of disappointment to the tech sector,” the Computer & Communications Industry Association said in a 28 February letter to senators. “It is ironic that it was the concerns of our sector that drove the beginnings of the reform effort six years ago, and yet from our perspective S.23 would leave our industries worse off than before.”

The group detailed concerns about a number of provisions and applauded a few. Concerns included litigation-related provisions such as damages, venue and inequitable conduct, plus provisions that it said would restrict opportunities to improve patent quality and avoid litigation. CCIA also took aim at the bill’s attempt to address tax planning patents, business method patents, and the switch to a first-to-file standard for patent grants that would bring the US closer to the rest of the world.

The CCIA letter is here [pdf].

Meanwhile, the bill’s sponsor, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, issued a statement saying there is significant support for the bill, including from the Obama administration.

[Update] The statement of administration policy on the bill is available here [pdf].