Patent Bill Sponsor Says Changes Needed
Longtime Senate intellectual property crusader Orrin Hatch was among those who sponsored a sweeping patent reform bill introduced Wednesday afternoon (see Technology Daily's PM edition for details). But the Utah Republican thinks further refinements are needed as lawmakers consider the bill in the weeks to come.
Hatch feels that omissions and inclusions made as staffers revised the bill he introduced last year "might not have been very helpful" but let sponsors arrive at the new bicameral, bipartisan measure. That was "part of the grand compromise we had to make," he said at a press briefing.
The aggressive attorneys' fees provision included in his legislation from the 109th Congress "was there for the purpose of trying to get rid of frivolous [lawsuits]." The new measure maintains the current rule rather than shifting expenses to the non-prevailing party in litigation.
"Last year, we were nowhere near being able to get both houses to agree," Hatch said, noting the climate is quite different this time around. He believes the bill will have the 60 votes needed to pass the legislation out of the Senate.
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