The legislative debate over patent legislation began again yesterday with the reintroduction of the Innovation Act by Chairman Goodlatte.  In a piece that appeared in The Hill on February 5, Covington’s Aaron Cooper, formerly Chief Intellectual Property and Antitrust Counsel for Senator Leahy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, encourages “industry participants [to] work together, and with Congress, to forge a consensus.”  Cooper observes that, “Legislation is exceedingly difficult to enact, even in the best conditions.” He writes that one lesson from enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act is that “the path to forging consensus is not always fast or easy, but it is a necessary one” to turn patent legislation into law. “Other paths,” he concludes, lead “only [to] talking points.”

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Photo of Allan Topol Allan Topol

Allan Topol is a resident in the firm’s Washington office.  While practicing law with Covington, he has written ten novels of international intrigue and numerous articles dealing with foreign policy issues in The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Washington

Allan Topol is a resident in the firm’s Washington office.  While practicing law with Covington, he has written ten novels of international intrigue and numerous articles dealing with foreign policy issues in The Huffington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Military.com.

Mr. Topol’s law practice has involved extensive civil and criminal litigation, with an emphasis on water, air and major hazardous waste enforcement cases, as well as international environmental law and toxic torts.  He has also advised clients on many of these environmental issues assisting them in dealing with immediate problems as well as developing long term strategies.