House Votes on the Patent Reform Act of 2007

On September 7, the U.S. House of Representatives took a critical step in what may turn out to be a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. Patent System. In a 263-to-136 vote, with 38 members not voting, the House approved a number of provisions in the Patent Reform Act of 2007 (H.R. 1908), which stands to amend Title 35 of the United States Code and critically change the way that patents are procured, profited from, and challenged in the United States.

Five amendments were accepted, with the original bill having an identical Senate counterpart, which has cleared the Judiciary Committee but which has not yet been scheduled for a vote. The following provisions, as amended, were passed by the House.

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