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COVID-19 has disrupted and will continue disrupting supply chains in many important ways, as suppliers, carriers and buyers navigate the global pandemic. But does the pandemic allow activation of force majeure clauses in your contracts? If a force majeure clause is activated, what are the rights and responsibilities of each party during the pandemic? When

Nearly six months after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Innovation Act (H.R. 3309), and three months after President Obama called on the U.S. Senate to “finish the job,” Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is taking the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act off the agenda for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In removing the Senate bill targeting so-called “patent troll litigation,” Sen. Leahy cited lack of sufficient support behind a comprehensive deal, blaming “competing companies on both sides of this issue” that “refused to come to agreement.” Before taking the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act completely off the agenda, Sen. Leahy had delayed consideration of the bill numerous times in order to drum up bipartisan support. Sen. Leahy also repeated his earlier concerns that “the House-passed bill went beyond the scope of addressing patent trolls, and would have severe unintended consequences on legitimate patent holders who employ thousands of Americans.” Sen. Leahy offered a chance that the Patent Transparency and Improvements Act would pass later this year, but only if “the stakeholders are able to reach a more targeted agreement that focuses on the problem of patent trolls.”Continue Reading ‘Patent Troll’ Legislation Stalls, at Least for Now