Patent Law Update: How Will the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act Affect Invention Disclosures At Your Company?

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) represents the first major overhaul of U.S. patent system in 60 years.  Among the many changes to U.S. patent law under the AIA, which becomes fully effective on March 16, 2013, is the change from a first-to-invent to a first-inventor-to-file system.  Under the new first-inventor-to-file system, companies will need to streamline their invention submission and decision-making processes to ensure that new inventions are rapidly identified, and that decisions are quickly made whether to preserve patent rights. This presentation will discuss the first-inventor-to-file and other important provisions of the AIA, including best practices for inventors and companies after the first-inventor-to-file provisions come into effect.