[DMCA-Activists] Congress Invites PUBPAT Testimony on Patent Reform

[Seth Johnson]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: PUBPAT News: U.S. Congress Invites PUBPAT Executive to
Testify AboutPatent Reform
Date: Tue, 07 Jun 2005 21:37:48 -0400
From: Public Patent Foundation <address@hidden>
To: PUBPAT News List <address@hidden>


U.S. CONGRESS INVITES PUBPAT EXECUTIVE TO TESTIFY ABOUT PATENT
REFORM

NEW YORK -- The Public Patent Foundation ("PUBPAT") announced
today that  Executive Director, Dan Ravicher, has been invited by
the U.S. House of  Representatives to testify at this week's
hearing on a proposed bill to  reform the patent system. 
Ravicher will make a presentation and then  answer questions from
Representatives on the Subcommittee on Courts, the  Internet, and
Intellectual Property, including Chairman Lamar Smith  (R-TX) and
Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-CA).

"The interests of the non-patent holding public are almost always
absent  from any meaningful participation in decision making
about the patent  system, despite the fact that they bear the
brunt of its burdens,"  Ravicher stated in written testimony
submitted prior to the hearing.  "Patent policy should be made
with consideration of all of the public's  interests, not just
the specific interests of the PTO, patent holders,  patent
practitioners, and large commercial actors."

Patent reform has been a topic of extensive discussion in
Washington  recently, with the House and Senate having several
hearings on the  subject.  A widely circulated proposed patent
reform bill includes  provisions reigning in undeserved
injunctions, limiting the ability of  patent applicants to file
unlimited numbers of continuation  applications, and creating a
post-grant opposition procedure allowing  the public to more
efficiently verify the validity of issued patents.  In his
written testimony, Ravicher commented on each of these
provisions  and also raised several other areas in need of reform
not addressed in  the proposed bill.

More information about PUBPAT's testimony to Congress on patent
reform,  including a complete copy of Ravicher's written
statement, can be found  at
http://www.pubpat.org/Educating_and_Advocating.htm.

Contact:

Jill Ratkevic, Bite Communications: (415) 365-0482;
address@hidden

About PUBPAT:

The Public Patent Foundation ("PUBPAT") is a not-for-profit legal
services organization working to protect the public from the
harms caused by the patent system, particularly the harms caused
by wrongly issued patents and unsound patent policy.  PUBPAT
provides the general public and those specific persons or
businesses otherwise deprived of access to the system governing
patents, with representation, advocacy, and education.  To be
kept informed of PUBPAT News, subscribe to the PUBPAT News List
by sending an email with "subscribe" in the subject line to
address@hidden  To be removed from the PUBPAT News
List, send an email with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to
address@hidden

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