Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie will testify this Wednesday in front of Congress in an Oversight Hearing entitled Patent Quality Enhancement in the Information Based Economy. The hearing is being held by the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
The NTP vs. RIM patent case really exposed just how messed up the entire patent system is. I am generally for the little guy, however, patents are given way too generously and often times in error. This appears to be the case in with the NTP patents that all, eventually, will be overturned.
This Oversight Hearing will look at several issues within the USPTO including how Congress can improve administrative proceedings at the back end and whether or not Congress should create a special “patent courts” system to adjudicate disputes.
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