New Bill Seeks to Improve Patent Litigation

Whether you’re an inventor, a lawyer, or a technology buff, one thing is for sure – patent law is complicated.  While there are efforts and calls to fix the poor quality of patents being granted, a current bill seeks to make the subject less confusing for judges by educating them on the matter.

According to Cnet News, Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Darrell Issa reintroduced a bill that would start a 10-year pilot program to educate district judges on patent issues.  The legislation was passed in the House of Representatives in both 2006 and 2007, but both Congressmen are confident it will become law this year since Sen. Arlen Specter introduced matching legislation in the senate.

The bill would authorize $5 million a year to carry out the program, which would be implemented in at least six district courts.  The courts would be chosen out of the 15 that saw the most patent protection cases in the previous year.  The courts must also have at least 10 judges, so that the courts are not perceived as specialized patent courts.  Patent cases would still be randomly assigned, but judges who receive a patent case would have the option of handing it off to a judge who was involved in the program.

Those in Congress hope this bill will help trials move along more quickly, reducing the costs of litigation.  Thus, the legislation could become important for small companies who cannot afford especially lengthy trials.  The bill could also encourage technology since less money for trials and lawyers means more money for innovating.