A new patent reform law signed by President Obama is expected to encourage innovation, streamline the patent process, reduce a backlog of pending patents and allow for patent challenges without filing a federal lawsuit, according to a Mass Device report.
The America Invents Act, however, gives larger companies a filing advantage. The new law transforms the U.S. patent system from a first-to-invent application process to a first-to-file process. Companies that have the means to file new patents more quickly could beat out a smaller company that did the inventing.
The law is expected to reduce a backlog of some 700,000 patent applications, which has forced inventors to wait two or three years to get a patent.
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