Obama calls for patent reform in State of the Union speech

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

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 SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

A Tokyo District Court ruling concerning movie spoilers, and a second chance for VLSI against Intel were also among the top talking points
Practitioners believe new AI tools at the USPTO will not replace lawyers or disrupt revenue, but instead expose where a trademark attorney’s value lies
Leighton Cassidy Legal hopes to leverage its founder's international experience and provide clients with a rare chance to receive litigation and prosecution under one umbrella
UKIPO rejects trademark application for 'Cristiano Ronaldo Origins' following opposition by Beck Greener client in a rare case that considered actual use
Partners at both firms have voted in favour of the tie-up, which marks ‘the largest law firm merger in history’
Head of IP, Andrew Brennan, and new partner, France Delord, explain how tech provides an edge in the battle for global brand owners’ business
Anton Hopen, shareholder at Trenam Law, shares how counsel should construct Section 101 claims as early 2026 PTAB data shows reversals rising in technical cases
Law firms should consider how they can help clients, as report calls on EU to use IP-backed financing to increase bloc’s competitiveness and attractiveness for businesses
In the final part of a series on challenging patent invalidation decisions in China, lawyers at Spruson & Ferguson and Marshall Gerstein share how courts adjudicate appeals
Stijn Debaene and Carina Gommers want Brussels-based Cast Law to be the place 'everybody wants to work'
Gift this article