Debate on reform plan before Congress has big implications for state inventors
By DIANA MARRERO
Posted: May 26, 2008
Washington - Wisconsin inventors have been filing patents on new methods for brewing beer, making cheese and even constructing sleighs since the 1800s.
Today, the majority of patent applications are for computer gizmos, software and biotechnology. The nation's patent laws, however, have not kept up with the fast-paced global economy, technology gurus said.
High-tech companies particularly are pushing Congress to revise the patent laws, saying they are no longer suitable to deal with modern developments such as laptop computers, which change constantly and involve hundreds of patents at a time. They have argued that costly patent litigation and exorbitant damage awards have hindered the development of new ideas.
Pharmaceutical companies and even some high-tech companies such as General Electric are pushing back - countering that some of the changes their opponents want could reduce protections for patent-holders by limiting the damages innovators could seek from copycats.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which patents the discoveries of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, has some of those same concerns.
Lobbyists for the drug companies want broad protections and short time frames for patent challenges, whereas those for the computer companies want to reduce damages for patented inventions that make up only a small portion of a product.
