From today's Wall Street Journal on the White House position on the patent reform bill -- Washington Wire - WSJ.com : Patently Worried:
The White House statement came as supporters of the bill appeared to be gaining momentum.
Notably, the AFL-CIO, which had voiced strong concerns over the summer, softened its opposition to the legislation. In a letter sent this week to Capitol Hill, the labor group welcomed a series of changes that are expected to “improve the bill” as it moves through the House floor. However, the AFL-CIO described the bill as “far from perfect” and raised concerns with proposed limits on damages, saying the issue “requires further attention.”
The AFL-CIO was not expected to work against the bill on the House floor, but vowed to “reserve judgment at this point” on the final version of the legislation, once both the House and Senate have acted. “We would not be able to support legislation that weakens patent protections for American manufacturers or undermines their ability to protect their innovations from either domestic or foreign infringement,” the AFL-CIO said.
Looks like my scenario 1) or 2) is in play (see earlier posting). The House is in the middle of debating the bill, with votes later today.
By the way, the White House's concern is over limiting judicial discretion in awarding damages (see OMB Statement of Administration Position)
(what was that about opposing activist judges?)
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