USPTO Publishes First-to-File Rules

The Patent and Trademark Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce published final rules of practice for implementing the first-inventor-to-file provision of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) that will take effect on March 16. The AIA is a major step towards harmonizing the patent systems of the U.S. and its major trading partners. The legislation will aid the U.S. government in the prosecution and enforcement of American patents in use across the global economy, as well as reduce the costs of filing for inventors and companies by simplifying the application of patents across multiple jurisdictions.

In a recent Fireside Hangout, President Obama called for the continued reform of U.S. patent law, stating that the Leahy-Smith Act made important advances but that further action was needed. Obama cited, among other issues, the need to eliminate laws that support patent trolls, software companies that collect patents for the sole purpose of pursuing litigation against companies that can't afford patent defense because it's too expensive. President Obama cited patent trolls, as well as foreign companies that pirate U.S. intellectual property, as examples of intellectual property abuse that stifle American innovation and economic growth. The president announced he would make increased patent reform a priority of his second administration.