United States Senate Passes Patent Reform Bill

On March 8, 2011, the United States Senate voted to pass historic patent reform legislation.

The America Invents Act, originally titled the Patent Reform Act, was passed by the United States Senate by an overwhelming 95–5 vote. If enacted, the Act would be the first comprehensive reform to the United States Patent system in nearly 60 years.

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 third-party patent challenges in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO);