New patent rules would make it harder to challenge patents and help inventors and small businesses.
This bill would change patent rules to make it more difficult for companies or individuals to challenge existing patents, requiring a higher standard of proof and limiting repetitive challenges. It would also ensure that all fees paid to the Patent and Trademark Office are used for its operations, and would expand reduced patent fees for university-affiliated inventors and offer free online search tools for everyone.
Today, it is generally easier to challenge the validity of a patent at the Patent Office, and fees collected by the Patent Office can sometimes be used for other government programs. After this bill, it would become significantly harder to challenge patents, requiring a higher burden of proof and preventing challengers from pursuing the same arguments in multiple venues. All fees paid to the Patent Office would be kept by the office to fund its services, and more patent information and tools would be available online for free.
HR 3160 · 119th Congress · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10
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48 filings mentioned this bill
Amounts reflect total quarterly lobbying spend reported to the Senate, not bill-specific spending. Source: Senate LDA filings.