The United States Congress is very close to fundamentally changing patent law in this country. The enactment of the America Invents Act would be the most significant change made to patent law since 1952. If, in the very near future, the Senate approves this piece of legislation, it could be signed into law by President Obama a few days later.

There are many changes in this America Invents Act that will profoundly affect inventors and business. The most talked about change is a first-to-file system for patent applications rather than the first-to-invent system that is currently in place in the US. This change will significantly pressure patent lawyers to prepare applications very quickly.