MDMA joined with several national and regional associations and companies in sending a letter to the House of Representatives as they begin work on patent reform legislation.
The Senate recently passed its version of this important legislation, and the House is in the process of working on a bill that if passed, will have to be reconciled with the Senate version before becoming law.
MDMA and the other signatories noted that it is crucial for innovation and...
MDMA has been actively working to ensure that the U.S. patent system continues to promote innovation. As a part of these efforts, MDMA recently helped organize and signed a letter to the U.S. Attorney General regarding an important patent issue that will come before the Supreme Court.
The letter requests that the U.S. Attorney General proceed cautiously in developing the U.S. Government’s position in the pending Supreme Court case of Microsoft v. i4i, and to...
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Administrator David Kappos was in St. Paul, Minnesota this week to discuss patent reform. Kappos’ remarks focused on how the current patent system is in need of a significant overhaul, especially if the U.S. is to maintain its competitive edge in the world economy. The audience consisted of numerous attorneys, business leaders, and inventors, including MDMA Board member Rob Kieval of CVRx, Inc. Kieval stressed the need for certainty in the patent system as...
The debate over patent reform heated up this week in light of a recently announced agreement in the Senate with regard to the Patent Reform Act. On March 4th, Chairman Patrick Leahey, Ranking Member Sessions and others on the Judiciary Committee announced a compromise agreement.
The proposal maintains the previous Senate compromise on damages and also improve the post-...
Senate Judiciary Committee leaders announced that a tentative deal on a bill to overhaul the U.S. patent system has been reached. Chairman Patrick Leahy indicated that the core of the compromise reached on the bill last year regarding damages has been preserved. In addition, the draft agreement appears to improve the post-grant review process. ...
Four members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to House leaders this week expressing concern over the Patent Reform Act of 2009. The letter, addressed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), expressed many of the concerns held by MDMA and...
September 4, 2009 - An editorial this week in the New York Times highlights the potential harm on entrepreneurs that would be caused by pending patent reform legislation. In the editorial, Scott Shane, a professor of entrepreneurial studies at Case Western University, explains how provisions related to damages and post-grant review would ultimately stifle innovation and harm entrepreneurs’ ability to obtain financing.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2009
Contact:
Mark Leahey
(202) 354-7174
MDMA Urges House to Make Significant Changes to Patent Reform Act
WASHINGTON, DC - Mark Leahey, President and CEO of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA), issued this statement following yesterday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on patent reform (HR 1260):
“It is absolutely vital that efforts to reform the US...
April 3, 2009 - Key members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary reached an agreement on controversial damages language in the Patent Reform Act of 2009, allowing for a "gatekeeper" role for a judge in the calculation of damages by identifying the appropriate legal standards and relevant factual contentions for the jury in patent infringement cases.
MDMA is pleased that the bill no longer includes mandatory apportionment, but will work to clarify that the gatekeeper role should...
March 27, 2009 - The Senate Judiciary Committee began work this week on the Patent Reform Act of 2009. The “mark up” was the first of what is expected to be several Committee reviews of the legislation. The panel did move several technical measures of the bill by voice vote. However, the more controversial measures of the legislation, such as the damages and post-grant language, will likely be taken up in a second meeting of the Committee, scheduled to be held on March 31....
