Patent Reform: It's Alive!

When Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced on May 21 that he was pulling patent reform off the agenda of the Senate Judiciary Committee, commentators were quick to pass judgment: "Patent reform is dead." These reform efforts were meant to address the growing concern over patent assertion entities (PAEs) or non-practicing entities (NPEs), better known by the more pejorative nickname, "patent trolls." However, some hope remains for the ongoing legislative effort to solve PAE litigation issues. Patent reform may have been tabled in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but two patent reform bills are still alive in Congress. Both bills aim to prevent abusive practices by targeting illegitimate patent demand letters.