New law changes system for awarding patents – USATODAY.com

WASHINGTON – Legislation overhauling the nation's patent laws will help federal officials quickly process a fast-rising mountain of applications filed by inventors, President Obama said in signing the measure into law Friday. "When Thomas Edison filed his patent for the phonograph, his application was approved in just seven weeks,'' Obama said. "And these days, that process is taking an average of three years. Over the last decade...