Senators want movement on patent reform bill

Leahy and Sessions unveiled an amended version of the bill in March with wide support on both sides of the aisle, only to see key technology firms such as Intel, Google and Apple line up against it. The companies, which take part in a group called the Coalition for Patent Fairness, argue the bill should impose limits on the amount of damages courts can award in patent infringement cases. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies oppose such limits.

In Wednesday’s letter the Senators argue their bill would speed up the patent application process and reduce the three-year wait that currently prevents inventors from securing the funding needed to bring their products to market. They close by urging Reid to schedule their latest amendment for debate as soon as possible.