The would also allow the USPTO's director to set the fees for patents, with the aim of giving the agency enough money to process a long backlog of patent applications. The bill would also change who is awarded a patent from the first person to create a new invention to the first person to file for a patent. Most other countries award patents to the first person to file.

Many large tech companies have been pushing for changes in the U.S. patent system for years. The USPTO approves too many questionable patents, leading to patent lawsuits, critics have said. Large tech firms have also complained that it's too easy for patent holders to sue and collect huge damages from tech vendors that potentially have hundreds of patented inventions in their products.

The House approval, by a 304-117 vote, moves "long-awaited" patent reform closer to becoming law, said Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and sponsor of a similar bill in the Senate.

"This bill will unleash American Innovation and create good, well-paying jobs for American workers," Leahy said in a statement. "It is commonsense legislation that goes to the heart of our shared agenda: reinvigorating the American economy and promoting job growth."

Advocates of the patent bill said the legislation will improve patent quality and give more resources to the USPTO. The Senate passed Leahy's bill in March, and lawmakers from two chambers will now have to work out differences in the two pieces of legislation before voting again on the bill.