U.S. Moves to "First to File" Patent System

In an 89-9 vote, the American Senate has approved a bipartisan bill known as the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. The bill proposes far-reaching changes to America’s patent laws, most notably converting the system for determining patent application priority from the current “first to invent” method to a “first to file” method. Small businesses are concerned that the bill favours large companies with the legal resources to file applications more quickly. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law this week.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/09/business/senate-approves-overhaul-of-patent-system.html

Volume X

U.S. Moves to "First to File" Patent System