Over the past year, intellectual property reform advocates in Congress tried to advance legislation to crack down on patent trolls. But, that process may have ground to a halt, after Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, abruptly pulled the "Patent Transparency and Improvements Act" from the Senate agenda.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had been working long and hard to reach an agreement on changes to the bill aimed at reducing patent litigation caused by patent trolls, but Leahy said he is shelving the bill because the two sides could not compromise to prevent patent litigation abuse without punishing innovators.

"Because there is not sufficient support behind any comprehensive deal, I am taking the patent bill off the Senate Judiciary Committee agenda," Leahy said in a statement. "If the stakeholders are able to reach a more targeted agreement that focuses on the problem of patent trolls, there will be a path for passage this year and I will bring it immediately to the committee."