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New patent legislation will change first to invent to first to file . |
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New Scientist: That could all change in the next few weeks, if the America Invents Act, already passed by the Senate, is passed by the House of Representatives. The act will eradicate the first-to-invent principle and make first-to-file - and a race to the patent office - the norm in the US. "This will encourage inventors to file. The old law encourages slumping along and indiscipline," says McLaughlin. It will also reduce the complexity of patenting in the US, where lengthy battles to prove who invented something first can be costly and time-consuming.
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