Patent reform
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
House approves American Inventor's Protection Act (HR 1907) Aug. 4, providing for day-to-day restoration of patent term lost at the Patent & Trademark Office through delays in reviews, appeals and interferences. Introduced by Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) May 24, the bill establishes PTO as an independent agency under the Department of Commerce and establishes two patent and trademark public advisory committees (1"The Tan Sheet" June 14, p. 12). Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is expected to consider the bill or to introduce companion legislation this autumn