"The Patent Reform Act’s Proposed First-To-File Standard: Needed Reform" by Karen E. Simon

Home > RIPL > Vol. 6 > Iss. 1 (2006)

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

Article Title

The Patent Reform Act’s Proposed First-To-File Standard: Needed Reform or Constitutional Blunder?, 6 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 129 (2006)

Authors

Karen E. Simon

Abstract

The proposed Patent Reform Act of 2005 would bring U.S. patent law into harmony with most other countries by adopting a first-to-file standard for determining patent rights. This comment questions whether overturning the first-to-invent standardand two hundred years of settled law is permissible under the Patent Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The comment concludes that the Patent Reform Act of 2005, as proposed, violates the Constitution, and supports its argument by placing intocontext of the founding fathers fear of extending government monopolies. The comment proposes that Congress focus on procedural reform, and not change thefundamental standard for awarding patent rights.

Recommended Citation

Karen E. Simon, The Patent Reform Act’s Proposed First-To-File Standard: Needed Reform or Constitutional Blunder?, 6 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 129 (2006)

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