Yesterday IAM held an event in Washington, DC, titled Patent Law and Policy. The first panel discussion of the day was on patent reform, taking a look at what has driven the legislative agenda over the past decade, what has been fixed, what remains to be done and how patent reform could affect patent owners ability to secure maximum monetary value for their rights. (IPWatchdog).

New U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week while a gauge of U.S. economic activity rebounded in October, signs of a healthy labor market and economy that could give the Federal Reserve confidence to raise interest rates next month (Reuters).