On June 23, 2011, the House of Representatives passed HR 1249, commonly known as the America Invents Act, which was mentioned in a previous post here (112th Congress Becomes the Fourth To Attempt to Tackle Patent Reform).  Of note, the America Invents Act also switches the system from a “first to invent” system to a “first to file” system.  The House bill differs from the Senate bill on several significant points, including prior use rights and funding of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  The next step is for the Senate and House to reconcile the differences between their respective versions of the legislation.  We will keep you posted upon further developments regarding this important patent legislation.