Utah law prof criticizes Hatch-Leahy patent reform bill

The first to file provision is a complete reversal of the current system, and U of Utah law professor and patent attorney Eric Maschell says it could give big companies an advantage.

"Because they have the resources, money and people to get to the patent office first. It's an expensive, time consuming process. Whereas the smaller companies and individual inventors don't have access to those resources."

Maschell says it can cost thousands of dollars to file a patent. Small inventors and technologists say the change would big companies an unfair advantage.