Just another patent reform hearing?

The House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property is holding an oversight hearing on patent reform tomorrow (the hearing is scheduled for 4:00 PM Eastern; view the live webcast here).  From the agenda [.pdf], it appears that the Subcommittee will continue to explore the administrative challenges and the funding issues facing the Patent and Trademark Office.  Nothing new there…

Notably, Jim Balsillie, the Chairman and CEO of Research in Motion, is scheduled to testify.  He’ll have plenty to say about patent trolls and the injunctive relief issue considering the hefty check his company recently gave to a troll.  Chairman Smith appears to be ready to give the maker of the BlackBerry a little bit of the spotlight on the troll issue, considering this question that appears on the agenda:

Are high-tech companies singled-out for unfair treatment in patent lawsuits?

Perhaps most interesting is the complete absence of any reference to the Patent Act of 2005 (H.R. 2795).  The bill is not officially scheduled for discussion.  The Subcommittee, it appears, is truly back at the drawing board when it comes to patent reform.

eBay looms large, and Round Two has begun.