Witness list suggests strong debate in tomorrow’s hearing on the draft amendment to Patent Act of 2005

Tomorrow, the House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property will hold a hearing on the draft amendment to the Patent Act of 2005.

The witness list includes representatives from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

The BSA, of course, strongly supported the controversial injunctive relief provision present in the Patent Act of 2005 as introduced (HR 2795).  PhRMA and BIO strongly opposed that and other portions of the bill.

The draft amendment, which is a substitute bill, is clearly one supported by both PhRMA and BIO.  It’s highly likely that BSA strongly opposes the draft amendment – it completely eliminates two of the provisions backed by the group (the injunctive relief provision and the “second window” for post-grant review proceedings in the Patent and Trademark Office).

The hearing should be quite interesting.  If only you could be a fly on the wall.  Oh, wait, you can — watch the webcast here.

Need some reading material to prepare for the hearing?  Check out the PTP Patent Reform Library.