After several attempts by Congress to pass broad patent reform
legislation over the last decade, the 112th Congress appears poised
to enact such a reform bill this fall.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will bring H.R. 1249,
the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, to the Senate floor for
consideration later this month. H.R. 1249 passed the House of
Representatives on June 23, 2011, by a vote of 304-117. Debate on
H.R. 1249 was complicated by disagreement on the fee diversion
provisions of the original legislation, and represents a compromise
between the bill's leading proponents and congressional
appropriators.
The Senate must now vote on and agree to the House-passed
legislation without amendments or changes, or it will likely be
sent back to the House for another vote. House Judiciary
Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) has expressed his hope that
the Senate will pass the legislation as-is, and has noted that his
compromise bill may not have sufficient
