DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said Tuesday that a wide-ranging attempt to overhaul the country's patent reform laws, which he has championed, appeared to be dead. He said that the Republicans seemed to be willing to let the legislation fail rather than strike a deal. "The Republicans really wanted to kill it, and I think they may have," said Leahy. "I think it's a shame after all the work that we've put into it." Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, acknowledged that the stumbling block involved key damages provision of any legislation, but that he hoped an agreement could still be reached on how to proceed. "There's one issue that's involving everybody, and that's damages," said Hatch. The dispute over damages goes to the very heart of patent law, determining the level of compensation companies or individuals should have to pay if a court determines they have violated a patent. The two lawmakers were speaking after the regular Tuesday policy luncheons at which the senators of each party gather to discuss strategy. The bill would be the most significant reform of U.S. patent laws in a generation. The House passed a version of the legislation last year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had set aside floor time in the Senate for consideration of the legislation last week, dependent on a deal being reached between lawmakers by that time. Two weeks ago, there were a series of talks among Leahy, Hatch and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., but the impasse over the damages provision couldn't be resolved. Specter is the ranking Republican member on the Judiciary Committee, and Hatch is a former chairman of the committee. The three have been the senators most closely associated with the attempt at reform.

Article by: By Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires