Patent bill update

Intellectual Property Watch has posted the following story - Bush Administration Presses On For Patent Reform Bill This Year:

Despite an apparent stalemate on patent reform in the United States Congress, the Bush administration is still pushing for a bill to be completed this congressional session.

Speaking in California’s Silicon Valley this week, US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez acknowledged that talks over S 1145, the Patent Reform Act, had broken down in the US Senate. At the centre of the disagreement is the debate over how patent holders should be compensated for infringement. Senators need to be up to the challenge of “mustering the will to forge a compromise and get it to the president’s desk,” he said.

“We can do better than this. I believe there is a way forward to pass legislation that improves our patent system - already the envy of the world - and addresses many of the concerns raised by patent holders and industries,” Gutierrez added. He made similar remarks in an editorial in The San Jose Mercury News Sunday.

The story goes on to describe many of the behind the scene activities around the bill -- not a dead bill yet, but lots of work yet to be done in crafting a compromise. That is how the Senate works.