The Capitol Hill site Roll Call reports that a proposed bill would make it harder for holders of “business process patents” to sue banks which they claim are infringing. Frankly I do not understand the details, what a “government review of the patent’s validity” means, since I thought patent examiners review all applications before a patent is granted. An opposing lobbyist is quoted as saying “This is nothing less than an earmark for big banks disguised as a new government program.” One presumes that bank lobbyists have something equally cogent to say, but somehow that didn’t get into the article.
Unfortunately, it seems very unlikely that both sides could lose this one.