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Patentees are continuing to move away from the single-patent model toward a model that involves multiple patents in multiple jurisdictions. Today, over 75% of patent applications rely upon at least one prior patent filing as a priority document.

One aspect of the Goodlatte discussion draft legislation is a series of “Improvements and Technical Corrections to the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.” The AIA was passed in September 2011 and is gradually being fully implemented across the US patent system. The further changes here are fairly substantial, although buried within the proposed bill itself.

H.R. 6621, officially titled An Act To correct and improve certain provisions of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act and title 35, United States Code was signed into law by President Obama on January 14, 2013 and, for the most part, the provisions of the law are now effective.

Professor Joshua Sarnoff (DePaul) highlights a set of important problems in the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.

President Barack Obama signs the America Invents Act on September 16, 2011.