The Deal does a deep dive on the current issues surrounding the patent law reform fights and looks into the chances for legislative remedies this year. Intro to the story after the jump...
Everyone agrees that something's seriously wrong with the patent protection process for intellectual property in the U.S. The problem is, there's precious little consensus on how to fix it.
Nor are there just a few special interest groups arrayed on opposite sides of a no-holds-barred fight in Congress and the courts to shape intellectual property rights protections in their favor. Instead, the battle features a confusing mix of big, listed information technology companies and venture capital-backed startups, big pharmaceutical majors and tiny biotechnology companies, lone inventors and aggressive patent-holding companies — all of them planting their flags behind various legislative efforts, regulatory reforms and Supreme Court arguments.
The result, not surprisingly, is a welter of efforts afoot to reform the patent process, none of which individually is likely to resolve the problem now overwhelming the Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. judicial system. In Congress, Rep. Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who chairs the House subcommittee on intellectual property, is pressing ahead with legislation, and early indications are that the Senate support he lacked last year with be forthcoming, though much remains to be decided.
And, alas, the conclusion ofthe piece:
Alas, it seems patently obvious that intellectual property rights protections in the U.S. will be debated for some time to come.
Great question. You got me chkneicg.According to the ASME site below, they have on display the first BOP. It was designed and built by Cameron and Abercrombie in 1922
Posted by: Bmeetin | July 06, 2012 at 10:41 AM