In a vote of 89-9, the U.S. Senate this evening passed the Leahy-Smith American Invents Act, a controversial patent reform measure.

We may hear a mention of its passage from President Barack Obama in his upcoming speech. Obama has talked about the importance of patent reform as a way to spur economic growth.

Critics of the act say the bill’s language is flawed, and undermines its intent. In Hawaii, patent and intellectual property lawyers told Civil Beat that there are underlying patent-related issues that must first be addressed before patent reform of any kind makes a difference.