Conyers and Smith Hail Patent Reform Progress

(Washington, DC) - House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), author of H.R. 1260, the Patent Reform Act of 2009, and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), Ranking Republican on Judiciary, issued the following statements regarding the bipartisan patent legislation reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee today: 

"After a great deal of hard work by both bodies on the Hill and both sides of the aisle, I am more optimistic than ever about the prospect of enacting long overdue reforms to the patent system in the 111th Congress,” said Conyers. "The House and Senate introduced our bills together on a bipartisan and bicameral basis and I vowed at that time to move toward consensus. Today, with Senate Judiciary Committee’s overwhelming vote in favor of the Patent Reform Act, significant progress has been achieved toward that goal. I applaud the stakeholders on all sides of the issue for working with us on this effort and I look forward to continuing to work with the stakeholders as the House takes up this bill."

"After years of bipartisan work on this important legislation, I’m pleased to see the progress made today by the Senate Judiciary Committee," said Smith. "Enacting much-needed patent reform legislation is a priority of this Congress. Ensuring that there is an effective process in place for the protection of creative and intellectual property is critical to our economic growth.  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate to finally see patent reform legislation become law."