31. Intellectual Property Law Section works to advance patent law reform
The ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law has continued its rigorous activity in providing meaningful input to the important patent law reform efforts in Congress as it considers the Patent Act of 2005, H.R. 2795. The section’s leaders, together with its legislative consultant, Hayden Gregory, regularly participate in meetings and hearings with congressional committees and staffers, and in the past year it has been actively involved in advocating its positions on patent law reform to both houses of Congress. This advocacy is occurring through resolutions, a Section White Paper, letters, and testimony before Congress.
The section has continued to urge Congress to enact a statutory ban on Patent and Trademark Office user fee diversion. With the temporary fee increases enacted two years ago set to expire this year, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Sensenbrenner is again attempting to tie legislation banning fee diversion to provisions that would make permanent the fee increases now set to expire. The ABA supports the Sensenbrenner legislation, H.R. 2791, and believes that provisions to end diversion stand the best chance of enactment if tied to the fee increases. The ABA has been successful again this year in making this important issue one of the ABA’s top legislative priorities.
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