Comments Deadline Extended in Small Claims Patent Court Study

The Administrative Conference of the U.S. (ACUS) extended to Aug. 26 the deadline for comments in an independent study it's doing for the Patent and Trademark Office about creating a small claims patent court, said a notice for Tuesday’s Federal Register. The study will generate a report to Congress on whether there’s a need for a small claims patent court and the "feasibility and potential structure" of such a court, plus “the relevant legal, policy, and practical considerations" involved, said an ACUS notice May 3. Concerns have been raised for decades “that the high cost of patent litigation deters small- and medium-sized enterprises, including those owned by traditionally under-represented groups, from seeking to enforce their patents,” said the notice.