The Patents Bill currently before Parliament is the result of a wide-ranging consultation with industry and the professions. The bill, which will amend the Patents Act 1977, is not guaranteed to be enacted, although it does stand a good chance of becoming law – if only because none of the controversial changes mooted during the consultation have been included. Most of those that have made it into the bill will meet with widespread approval. Indeed, some clauses must be enacted if the UK is to implement recent changes to various international conventions to which it is a signatory.
However, the Government has also taken the opportunity to include a number of other reforms to domestic patent law, touching on, among other matters, post-grant amendment and compensation for employee inventors. The bill also proposes a new, quick and cheap means of obtaining an assessment of validity and infringement from the Patent Office.
