Log in or register
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn

ARTICLE · 21 SEPTEMBER 2011

Patent Reform Expected To Become Law

McGuireWoods LLP
Explore more from McGuireWoods LLP

On September 8, Congress passed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Brian Riopelle
Brian Riopelle
Safet Metjahic
Safet Metjahic
Mark Varboncouer
Mark Varboncouer

On September 8, Congress passed the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law. Harmonizing many aspects of U.S. patent law with the patent laws of most foreign jurisdictions, the bill constitutes a major modification to the Patent Act of 1952 and is expected to have sweeping effects on patent procurement and enforcement. It moves the U.S. from the current first-to-invent system to a first-inventor-to-file (FITF) system and makes a number of other significant changes to the patent law.

McGuireWoods addresses key areas of the bill that relate to patent procurement and post-grant patent challenges or patent litigation in " Patent Reform Expected to Become Law." Topics include:

We operate a free-to-view policy, asking only that you register in order to read all of our content. Please login or register to view the rest of this article.

Register for freeORLog in

Related Articles

Legal Intelligence Newsletters: sign up for the latest legal and regulatory news on your chosen topics

Read more about

Related Comparative Guides

See more popular content from

Article

UMG v. DistroKid: When AI Becomes A Consumer Protection Issue

Universal Music Group's lawsuit against DistroKid raises a critical question about AI disclosure in consumer markets: when does the use of artificial intelligence become material information that must be disclosed to consumers? The case centers on allegations that DistroKid distributed mass-generated AI music while creating the impression it was created by legitimate human artists, potentially violating existing consumer protection laws even without specific AI disclosure requirements.
United StatesIntellectual Property
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
Article

PTAB/USPTO Update - October 2026

The USPTO has released new templates and guidance for AIA trial proceedings, announced key appointments including a Chief AI Officer, and published updated procedures for patent applications and subject matter eligibility declarations. Director Squires delivered multiple addresses emphasizing the constitutional importance of intellectual property rights while the agency expanded its community engagement efforts and international collaboration through WIPO's Global IP Assignment Platform pilot program.
United StatesIntellectual Property
WilmerHale
WilmerHale
Article

The Trademark Scam Field Guide: Look-Alike Filing Sites, Fake USPTO Notices, And How To Get Out If You’ve Been Caught

A business decides to file a trademark. Someone on the team searches for a familiar online legal-services brand, clicks the first result, and lands on a site with a similar-sounding name, a polished design, five-star reviews, and a low flat fee. The application gets filed. Months later the business learns the “service” was not who they thought it was, the filing was signed by someone with no authority to sign it, and the USPTO has suspended the application along with hundreds or thousands of others from the same shop.
United StatesIntellectual Property
Harness IP
Harness IP
Article

Is This Real? Navigating AI Impersonation Under New And Existing Laws

Is this AI-generated, or is it real? As generative AI tools have become increasingly capable of creating realistic images, videos, and audio, they have also made it easier to impersonate real people without their consent. In response, states are increasingly adopting laws that impose civil and criminal liability for certain AI-generated content that replicates an individual’s identity, likeness, voice, or other personal attributes.
United StatesIntellectual Property
Wiley Rein
Wiley Rein
Article

Requirements For Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems In Virginia

If a county, city or town contributes a pollutant of concern to a waterbody it may need to modify its municipal stormwater management program to meet state and federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations. Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and the Virginia Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) will require MS4 communities to make improvements and retrofits to existing stormwater management programs.
United StatesEnvironment
McGuireWoods LLP
McGuireWoods LLP