The United States Patent and Trademark Office announced its intent earlier this month to form a “Software Partnership” with the software community in order to enhance the quality of software-related patents (the “Notice”) and, in furtherance of this goal, to host at least two roundtables on February 12 and 27, in Silicon Valley and New York City, respectively.

While the Notice does not specifically address flaws in the patent system, it references public commentary and stakeholder feedback the USPTO has received on software-related patents and “insight based on court cases in which software-related patents have been the subject of litigation.” This is likely a reference to the series of high-profile smartphone lawsuits involving companies such as Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Nokia.