When the America Invents Act (AIA) was before Congress a decade ago, it was heralded as the first comprehensive patent law since the 1952 Act. Ten years’ perspective on the new law, however, shows that its changes to patent policy have been more evolution rather than revolution. The AIA is simply the latest step in the long arc of moving U.S. law toward a more objective and logical patent system—and one that produces more accurate results.
On Thursday, September 9, Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sent a letter addressed to Drew Hirshfeld, performing the functions and duties of the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), discussing the issue of inconsistent statements made by patent applicants pursuant to their disclosure requirements at the USPTO and other federal agencies, especially the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Senators are asking the USPTO to take swift action to ensure that applicants are disclosing all known prior art at both the USPTO and the FDA.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on Wednesday that it has established a National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advisory Committee that will advise the President and other federal agencies on issues surrounding AI. The Committee will work with the existing National AI Initiative Office (NAIIO) in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
This week in Washington IP events, both houses of Congress remain quiet during regularly scheduled work periods. However, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host several workshops including a series of events geared towards patent attorneys to aid their skills in communicating with patent examiners or presenting oral arguments in AIA trials. Elsewhere, the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) hosts events exploring ways to secure critical supply chains for the United States in batteries and semiconductors, the Heritage Foundation speaks with Retired Admiral Michael Rogers, Former National Security Agency (NSA) Director, on the changing landscape of cyber threats, and the Cato Institute focuses on state efforts to amend medical licensing laws to pave the way for the future of telemedicine.
On August 31, at the request of Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USTPO) provided a report to Congress analyzing infringement disputes between patent and trademark rights holders and states and state entities. The U.S. Copyright Office produced a similar, much lengthier report, also in response to a letter from Tillis and Leahy, studying whether there is sufficient basis for federal legislation abrogating State sovereign immunity when States infringe copyrights. The Senators’ letters were prompted by the March 2020 Allen v. Cooper Supreme Court decision. While the USPTO report came to no conclusions, the Copyright Office found that “the evidence indicates that state infringement constitutes a legitimate concern for copyright owners.”