House Passes Patent Reform Bill, Concerns Remain Within Industry

The House voted 220-175 to pass a patent reform bill despite opposition from the White House and industry.

The Patent Reform Act, H.R. 1908, and its Senate counterpart, S. 1145, weaken important patent protections by making patents easier to challenge and cheaper to infringe, according to AdvaMed general counsel Christopher White.

The House acted on H.R. 1908 Friday, despite a letter from House Republican leadership to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asking her to continue to work on the bill instead of scheduling it for quick consideration. The Senate and House judiciary committees passed the Patent Reform Act, S. 1145 and H.R. 1908, in July.

The Bush administration does not support a provision in the bill that would limit a court’s discretion in determining damages to compensate for a patent infringement, according to a statement from the White House Office of Management and Budget. While the administration supports passing patent modernization legislation, it will oppose H.R. 1908 until that provision is revised, the office said.