US SB2082 | 2019-2020 | 116th Congress

Status

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: Introduced on July 10 2019 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2019-07-10 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Pending: Senate Judiciary Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Summary

Makes several patent-related changes, including with respect to how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) conducts administrative patent validity reviews. When deciding inter partes reviews (IPRs) and post-grant reviews (PGRs), the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) shall give patent claim terms their ordinary and customary meanings as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art (the same standard used in court). If a court has already construed a patent claim, the USPTO shall consider that construction. The bill makes various changes relating to such proceedings, such as by (1) raising the burden of proof to invalidate a patent claim; (2) establishing that a challenged patent claim is presumed valid; (3) imposing standing requirements as to who may file an IPR or PGR, where none currently exist except for some timing requirements; (4) restricting when multiple challenges may be filed against the same patent; and (5) limiting IPRs and PGRs when a court or the International Trade Commission has ruled on the obviousness or novelty of the same patent claims. also (1) makes it easier to get an injunction after a court finding of the infringement of a valid patent, by a presumption that further infringement would cause irreparable injury and the remedies available at law are inadequate; (2) authorizes the USPTO to keep and spend the fees that it collects; and (3) makes bad faith patent demand letters an unfair or deceptive act in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Tracking Information

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Title

STRONGER Patents Act of 2019 Support Technology and Research for Our Nation’s Growth and Economic Resilience Patents Act of 2019

Sponsors


History

DateChamberAction
2019-07-10SenateRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Same As/Similar To

HB108 (Related) 2019-01-25 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.
HB3666 (Same As) 2019-07-30 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

Subjects


US Congress State Sources


Bill Comments

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