Obama calls for patent reform in State of the Union speech

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Obama calls for patent reform in State of the Union speech

US President Barack Obama called for Congress to pass a patent reform bill during his State of the Union address

barack20obama.jpg

"Let’s pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless litigation,” said Obama.

The House of Representatives in December passed the Innovation Act, introduced by Bob Goodlatte, by a vote of 325-91.

The Senate is considering its own legislation to tackle so-called patent trolls.

Goodlatte responded to Obama’s speech by saying he was encouraged by the president’s continued willingness to work with Congress to stop abusive patent litigation.

Businesses both large and small are affected by this growing problem and the enactment of the Innovation Act is central to US competiveness, job creation, and our nation’s future economic security. I look forward to working with President Obama and the Senate to see that patent litigation reform legislation is signed into law,” Goodlatte said.

more from across site and ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Louis Ederer, who worked at Arnold & Porter for 18 years, says he was excited to go back to a place where he already knew a lot of people
Awards
Practitioners and law firms should keep their eyes peeled as the shortlist for our annual Awards is set to be released
Shoosmiths, which hired a six-person IP team from Locke Lord to kick-start the year, says it is not finished there
The USPTO’s latest search tool has improved since it was first launched, though counsel still have to take care when trying to get optimal results for their clients
Scott Palmer, who took 16 lawyers with him when he moved from Perkins Coie to Loeb & Loeb, reveals how his Beijing-based team has hit the ground running
Coke Morgan Stewart previously spent 10 years in various USPTO roles before joining O’Melveny in 2023
Law firm Stephens Scown secured victory for its client in a dispute over two cider products
The Court of Appeal said the UPC can award damages based on a national court’s infringement ruling, giving the last laugh to the lawyer who filed the case
AI
Robert Guthrie at Osborne Clarke runs through the government’s AI and copyright consultation and considers the expected challenges
A lawyer firing Meta as a client has reinforced why the industry should not shy away from losing business from those with questionable ethical standards, even if it comes at a cost
Gift this article