As U.S. thought leaders and legal scholars gather today to consider patent reform at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith proposes a series of reforms aimed at improving critical issues in the current U.S. patent system.

Smith, the keynote speaker in a panel discussion today, has outlined reform proposals designed to ensure patent quality, curb excessive litigation, promote harmonization of international patent systems and increase accessibility -- changes he says would benefit companies and inventors, advance technological progress worldwide and boost the global economy. The AEI is one of America's largest and most respected think tanks.

To learn more about Microsoft's perspective on the U.S. patent system, the company's reform proposals and their possible impacts on the system and the technology industry as a whole, PressPass spoke with Smith, who is also senior vice president and corporate secretary of Microsoft and the author of many articles on intellectual property issues in professional journals.