Rep. Berman Introduces Patent Reform Act of 2007

Press Release

Rep. Berman Introduces Patent Reform Act of 2007

Rep. Berman today announced the introduction of The Patent Reform Act of 2007, a bicameral and bipartisan effort to reform the patent system to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

"The US patent system must provide strong protection for intellectual property rights," said Berman. "To that end, the Patent Reform Act contains a number of provisions designed to improve patent quality, deter abusive practices by patent holders, provide meaningful, low-cost alternatives to litigation for challenging the patent validity and harmonize U.S. patent law with the patent law of most other countries."

"Though we developed this bill in a highly deliberative manner using many past bills as the foundation for the provisions," continued Berman, "it's not a perfect solution. This bill is the beginning of a process. I am open to suggestions for amending the language to improve its efficacy or rectify any unintended consequences. There are a host of issues or varied approaches to patent reform which may not be covered by this bill but may be considered at a later time. I intend to work with my colleagues and the diverse industry, university and inventor groups to reach further consensus as we move this bill towards final passage."

"The bottom line in this," said Berman, "is there should be no question that the U.S. patent system produces high quality patents. Since questions have been raised about whether this is the case, the responsibility of Congress is to take a close look at the functioning of the patent system. High patent quality is essential to continued innovation. Litigation abuses, especially ones committed by those which thrive on low quality patents, impede the promotion of the progress of science and the useful arts. This is why we must act quickly -- to maintain the integrity of the patent system."

"I'm sure that I speak for Senator Leahy as well when I say that it is our firm intention to pass this bill this year," declared Berman

Source