The Innovation Alliance, an advocacy group that had opposed some earlier patent reform provisions, said the bill passed Thursday was an improvement over earlier versions. But the group said it is disappointed that the bill "does not end, once and for all, the diversion of patent office user fees."

Several tech groups, including the Business Software Alliance and Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), applauded the bill's passage.

"The America Invents Act is an investment in innovation," Ken Wasch, SIIA president, said in a statement. "The legislation makes critical, necessary patent improvements that will drive our country's continued leadership in the software and information industries."

The IDG News Service