Public Knowledge has posted a great summary of the new Patent Reform Act of 2007, introduced in both the House and Senate this week. The bill is going to be one of the key intellectual property issues in Congress this year, and, though this bill doesn't fix all current problems with the patent system, it is a good step in the right direction. Among other things, the bill would reduce certain excessive patent infringement damages, allow third parties to file patent defeating documents before patents are issued, and create a new system for challenging bad patents.
EFF has been fighting bad patents by filing petitions for re-examination. Learn more about our Patent Busting Project and stay tuned for more news and analysis regarding this bill.