Tech companies rally to alter patent reforms

Dozens of tech companies, many of them from the Bay Area, have joined forces in an effort to head off patent legislation that they fear would slow down the patent process and lead to abuses by infringers.

In a letter delivered to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today, the companies are protesting a proposal for post-grant review, which would allow third parties and appellants to get a re-examination of a patent ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Big companies like Microsoft have pushed for the change because they said it would prevent costly patent litigation and help weed out questionable patents.

But tech companies like San Francisco's Dolby Labs and communications chip giant Qualcomm said the rule change would invite patent infringers to tie up patent applications and shroud legitimate patents in uncertainty.

The companies believe the extra review process will add more work to the strained patent office, which is dealing with a ballooning work load. And it will add more time to the review process, which can now take several years.

The legislation was passed out of a Senate committee before the summer recess and now awaits more action from Congress.

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