US patent reform: or the universal story of intellectual property?

 Dennis Crouch's always-interesting Patently-O blog gives us this today, from Senator Maria Cantwell. In fact, all Dennis gives us is the quote, so I am cheekily reposting the whole thing, but as it was a quote in the first place there can't be any doubt that it is fair use (US) and fair dealing for reporting current events (UK). The Senator was talking - obviously - about the reform of patent law in the US:

This is not a patent reform bill. This is a big corporation patent give away that tramples on the rights of small inventors.

I don't propose to get into the controversy about this piece of legislation, other than to observe that it does smack of protectionism - but I am going to remember that turn of phrase, which seems to describe so much that goes on in the world[s] of intellectual property. I'm thinking of the move to a totally opposition-based trade mark system in the UK, and the increase in the term of protection for sound recordings, for two things.