Patent Law

Abolition

By Gary Odom and Jordan Kuhn

The membership of the House and Senate Judiciary committees for the 111th Congress has been decided. What has also been decided is abolition of intellectual property subcommittees in both houses. That puts any patent reform agenda, and all its attendant issues, squarely before the full committee in each body. The abolition thus puts a learning curve on more members, particularly in the House: there are 29 in the House Judiciary Committee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has 11 Democrats, 8 Republicans. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) again chairs, with Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) ranking minority member. John Conyers (D-Michigan) chairs the House committee, with Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who was rabid for patent reform in 2005, ranking minority member. The House committee is quite lopsided: 23 Democrats, only 6 Republicans.

Christal Sheppard, a former patent prosecutor and attorney, with a Ph.D., has been brought on staff in the House.

Full post as published by The Patent Prospector on January 28, 2009 (boomark / email).