House passes the Patent Reform Act of 2007.

The House of Representatives took a major step to make reforms to the United States patent system by passing H.R. 1908, the Patent Reform Act of 2007, by a vote of 225-175.

H.R. 1908, sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), is the culmination of nearly a decade of study and debate by policy makers, academics, industry leaders and legal scholars seeking to update our patent system that has not seen serious reform in over half a century.

"Today's vote in the House is a victory for American innovators and consumers," said Jonathan Yarowsky, policy counsel and spokesperson for the Coalition for Patent Fairness. "The current …