Patent Eligibility, Board Changes to Get Focus in New Bills (1)

Clarifying which inventions can get patent protection and changing processes for challenging a patent’s validity are at the center of bipartisan bills that will be introduced on Thursday.

The “Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2023,” shared exclusively with Bloomberg Law, is sponsored by Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s intellectual property subcommittee.

It’s an updated version of Tillis’ proposal from the last Congress, which he said he introduced because of US Supreme Court inaction on the issue. That proposal sparked backlash from some attorneys and advocacy groups ...