The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, H.R. 1249, 112th Cong. (2011) (“Reform Act”). The Reform Act has been heralded by its proponents as a critical reform of the U.S. patent system. Much has been written about the Act, but in this summary we focus on the issues most relevant to patent litigants and attempt to quantify the intended, and unintended, consequences of the Reform Act.