A couple of months ago, I posted a piece on one of the battles being fought as part of the patent reform legislation -- in this case a provision inserted in the bill in committee with little discussion that would grant banks immunity against a pending patent lawsuit. The Administration strongly objected to the provision. And as I stated earlier , I tend to agree. think this is the wrong way to address the issue.
Now comes word, via a Washington Post story -- Immunity Plan for Banks Loses Backer -- that the sponsor of the amendment, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), has withdrawn his support:
Sessions announced his decision in a letter last week to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.). In the letter, he noted that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said his amendment to a larger bill could affect more patented check technologies than originally thought and might undercut U.S. patent-protection efforts with trading partners.
This may remove one hurtle to the pending bill. But the banking industry is almost sure to put up a fight to keep the provision in the bill.
Stay tuned.
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