Senate to Consider Patent Reform Legislation

Back in early February, we posted on a new bill (S.23) introduced on January 25 by Senator Patrick Leahy, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill contains numerous modifications to the patent statute, including damages reform. The damages reform is the same as that introduced by Senator Leahy last year in a Manager's Amendment, including a procedural gatekeeping role for federal courts. On February 28, the full Senate will begin debating the comprehensive patent legislation (S.23), including the damages reform. For a comprehensive analysis of legislative damages reform, and for links to the Congressional patent reform bills, including the Manager's Amendment, you can take a look at Fish & Richardson's legislative reform web page that's specific to patent damages.