Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Patent Reform - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

There has been a lot of hot air this summer regarding patent reform legislation. Depending on what you read, the proposed Patent Act of 2007 will either 1) Save the U.S. Patent System or 2) Destroy the U.S. Patent System. Since there are several provisions that would affect patent documents (for example, mandatory 18-month publication) librarians who work with patent information should be aware of the issues. Here are a couple of articles that cut through the rhetoric and legalese and provide simple overviews of the key issues and players.

Guide to Current Patent Reform Legislation
ipFrontline, 10 Aug 2007

Patent Reform - Why Being in the Middle is the Right Place
IPO President Marc Adler