The U.S. Senate is set to consider advancing a bill to overhaul the U.S. patent system at this hour. The Obama administration supports the so-called America Invents Act, which already passed in the House.

The bill’s advocates say it will chip away at the U.S. Patent Office‘s backlog, and better protect inventors and entrepreneurs. 

Critics argue that the bill is flawed, and won’t accomplish what it sets out to do. Patent scholars in Hawaii say that overarching reform notwithstanding, Hawaii has other issues related to intellectual property that it must address (read a related article).