by  Mel R. Quintos and S. Laura Chung

The America Invents Act refers to two similar bills originating from the House of Representatives (H.R. 1249: America Invents Act) and the Senate (S. 23: Patent Reform Act) of the U.S. Congress. The America Invents Act is the fourth attempt by the U.S. policy makers to replace the present first-to-invention patent prosecution system and transition into a first-to-file system.

On June 23, 2011, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1249, raising the possibility that the America Invents Act may soon be enacted in the United States. S. 23 has already been passed by the Senate in March of this year. If enacted, the America Invents Act will bring a drastic change to U.S. patent practice.—click here to read more—