Proposed Patent Legislation: A Roundup

Patent reform may be the new normal for the U.S. Congress, patent attorney Gene Quinn writes at IP Watchdog. There are a handful of proposals before lawmakers now, in various stages of consideration: the Innovation Act; the TROL Act; the STRONG Patents Act; and the PATENT Act. Quinn summarizes each of the proposals, and details the Innovation Protection Act, which “likely has no chance of passing but which is eminently reasonable.” Then there’s the reform that would address what’s become known to some in the biotech industry as the “Kyle Bass problem,” named for an investment strategy employed by hedge fund manager Kyle Bass, whereby he shorts companies before setting in motion a legal challenge to one of their key patents.