Patent Reform Act Of 2007

On July 18, 2007 and July 20, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, respectively, approved multiple modifications to their versions of the bills entitled the "Patent Reform Act of 2007." Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) of the Senate Judiciary Committee submitted a substitute bill to S. 1145 (the "Substitute S. 1145"), and he and other senators also submitted amendments thereto. Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property, likewise, submitted a substitute bill to H.R. 1908 (the "Substitute H.R. 1908"), and several other representatives also submitted amendments thereto. Though both bills, the H.R. 1908 and S. 1145, were essentially the same when initially introduced on April 18, 2007, some important provisions are now different. This legal update reviews these important provisions and changes.