Patent Office Would Get Ability To Set Fees Under House Bill; PTO To Allow Applicants To Fast Track One Application By Dropping Another

Since Congress is still tussling over a comprehensive patent reform bill, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and Ranking Member Lamar Smith, R-Texas, introduced a stand-alone measure that would give the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office the authority to set its own fees for a 10-year period