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New Patent Bill; is It Worthy of Its Publicity

By Lance Winslow

Will the Senate be able to come up with a workable set of US Patent System rules to streamline the bottleneck in the United States Patent Office? Will these new rules help the technology industry move forward or will the laws simply be more of the same and further stifle innovation in this country. And even if we have new laws in our nation, how can we insure that other nations will follow suit and honor these patents once filed?

Of course the Senate is on Vacation, which is just as well as they are usually said to be out to lunch these days on Patent Issues and the need for a complete overhaul of the US Patent System. Senators Hatch and Leahy put forth a nearly 50-page bill to help streamline the system, but is this more legislation and regulation on top of more manure?

Some say that this bill actually has some very good stuff in it this go around. Will this Patent Reform Act of 2006 solve the ills of the US Patent Office? Only time will tell.

The First to File scenarios being put forth would be more inline with other countries and the venue issues for patent disputes might also help things in the market place. The Coalition for Patent Fairness likes the bill and God knows we need to do something here, as this backlog is killing American Technology right now.

This is certainly a step in the right direction, as we are our own worst enemies with our litigious nature, patent backlogs and patchwork of patent rules. Our economy is better served by a better patent system and more fair rules and regulations. Of course all these things must be worked out and some day we need to stop this patent piracy issue too. Consider all this in 2006.

About the Author

"Lance Winslow is a monitor at the Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

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