Do you remember the American Invents Act being implemented in 2011? On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed the America Invents Act. It is a historic patent reform legislation to support American inventors. It basically speeds up the process to receive a patent and gives entrepreneurs and small business owners the chance to bring their product to the market much sooner and quicker.

The most significant change which will derive from this law is the change from first-to-invent to first-to-file. It defines who will receive the grant of a patent or an invention. With the first-to-file system, the person who first filed the invention is granted the patent regardless of the date of the actual invention. With this system, products and inventions can be marketed faster and introduced to the public much earlier than before. President Obama hopes to increase the creation of jobs and the competitiveness of United States entrepreneurs in comparison with other countries.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office is now working on further reports and studies and is also planning events across the country to discuss the propositions. The events are free and open to the public. Every inventor, entrepreneur and small business owner is welcome to attend and use the opportunity to interact and contribute to the discussions. Registration is not required. For further details about location and timing please look at the USPTO website.