Supreme court upholds inventors' rights, sends congress message on patent reform [ieee-usa]

The u.s. Supreme Court's ruling June 6, 2011, in Stanford University v. Roche Molecular Systems (No. 09-1159) reinforced the historical rights of inventors and sent a strong message to Congress about maintaining those rights, according to the IEEE. The decision stated that federal technology-transfer laws “do not vest title to federally funded inventions in federal contractors or authorize contractors to unilaterally take title to such inventions.” It affirmed a federal appeals court ruling making Stanford and Roche co-owners of a patent for technology to detect HIV levels in a patient's blood.