On the recordMarch 8, 2011
I urge my colleagues to support final passage on the America Invents Act. The Judiciary Committee has held numerous hearings on the need for patent reform, and has done a lot of work over the past several Congresses. We have had a good process on the floor. We adopted several amendments to improve the bill. We had votes on amendments and a pretty good open process, which we have not seen much of in the last few years. We have a good bipartisan bill--the chairman of the Judiciary Committee has successfully brought Senators and industry together to craft this compromise legislation. Now I urge my colleagues to support final passage on this important bill so we can conclude our work in the Senate. The America Invents Act will protect inventors' rights and encourage innovation and investment in our economy. It will improve transparency and third party participation in the patent review process, which will strengthen patent quality and reduce costs. The bill will institute beneficial changes to the patent approval and review process, and will curb litigation abuses and improve certainty for investors and innovators. It will help companies do business more efficiently on an international basis. The America Invents Act will also help small entities in their patent applications and provide for reduced fees for microentities and small businesses.
