Late Friday, the U.S. House passed, by a 220 to 175 margin, significant reforms to the nation’s patent laws. Those who have been paying attention to this issue already know that recent Congressional activity regarding patent reform has been moving forward at a pace that has been uncharacteristically steady, considering past attempts to enact changes to U.S. patent law. The passage of the House bill on Friday follows approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee in July of its own set of largely similar reforms. The full Senate has yet to vote on its own bill, though, and differences between the two bills of course will need to be dealt with before final legislation can be approved and sent to the President for signing.
The Washington Post reports that the spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid predicts that a Senate vote may be forthcoming within a couple weeks. However, the Bush Administration, while generally expressing agreement with proposed patent reforms, also has expressed its concern with some proposals, most notably those involving damages in patent lawsuits. It will be very interesting in coming weeks to see whether and to what extent the House and Senate can agree on a set of reforms that meet with the President’s approval.