What’s next for patent reform?  The House and Senate have passed both passed bills, but that doesn’t mean the work is done.

Will the House and Senate convene a conference to reconcile the differences between the two bills?  Will they bounce a bill back and forth, a practice that can lead to mouthfuls like the following:

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the motion to concur in the House amendments to the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment to…

And it can go on.

Or will the Senate just pass the House bill?

The Hill reports this morning that Senator Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, prefers that simpler approach.  According to the report, Leahy emailed his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee and made the case for passing the House bill.

For earlier Shopfloor coverage of the patent bill, see here and here.  More resources from the NAM are available here.