Patent reform

Van Nuys Democratic Rep. Howard Berman is at the center of multibillion-dollar legislation before the House today that pits the high-tech industry against drug companies and manufacturers over arcane changes to the rules of patent law. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Determined to enact the first sweeping changes to patent law in half a century to a system he describes as outdated and rife with abuse, Berman, of Sherman Oaks, on Thursday said he has spent the past several days in intense negotiations with university researchers, biotechnology leaders and union officials whose opposition threatened to block the bill.

The result Thursday was a series of compromises that won over both the AFL-CIO and major universities, including the University of California.