Intellectual Property Update: America Invents Act Signed Into Law

On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed into law historic patent reform legislation. The America Invents Act marks the first comprehensive reform to the United States Patent system in nearly 60 years. The Act makes some significant changes to the patent law and will impact the way patents are obtained, enforced and defended against in the United States.

The America Invents Act includes provisions for:

• Changing from the existing first-to-invent patent system to a first-to-file system; Third-party submissions of prior art for pending applications;
• Creation of new post-grant review procedures for thirdparty patent challenges in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO);