New USA patent law
The Smith-Leahy America Invents Act (H.R. 1249), signed into law on September 19, 2011, represents the first major revision to U.S. patent law since the Patent Act of 1952. At the highest level, the Act changes the patent landscape in three significant ways: * It converts U.S. patent law from a “first-to-invent” regime to a “first-inventor-to-file” regime, harmonizing U.S. practice with other jurisdictions throughout the world. * “t establishes new ways to challenge the patentability of applied-for or already-issued patents through patent review and derivation proceedings. * It enacts a number of provisions that will make it more difficult for patent holders to enforce their patents.
