On September 8, 2011, the Senate overwhelmingly passed S.23, more commonly known as the “America Invents Act”. It is the same bill passed by the House of Representatives in June which makes several significant changes to the U.S. patent system. Most notably, it changes the patent system from a “first to invent” system to a “first to file” system. The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature where it is expected he will sign it into law sometime in the next several weeks. We will continue to provide you with updates regarding this important patent legislation.