Washington – House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte and a bipartisan group of co-sponsors have introduced patent reform legislation aimed at curbing abusive patent-related lawsuits. Economists have said lawsuits by companies whose main product is lawsuits cost the economy $29 billion a year, and patent trolls have expanded their targets in recent years beyond the tech industry to include everyone from retailers to restaurants to end users who buy products at office supply stores.
The Computer & Communication Industry Association, which has fought for balanced patent policy for decades, welcomed the proposed reforms in the Innovation Act. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“This bipartisan legislation will help curb abusive patent litigation by requiring those filing suits to supply more details about their infringement claims and reveal who is paying for their legal antics. We appreciate the leadership by Chairman Goodlatte and the ongoing efforts by Chairman Leahy in the Senate to address the growing drain on innovation and our economy by taking away some of the tools patent trolls are using to harm innovators.”
The following can be attributed to CCIA Patent Counsel Matt Levy:
“We are very pleased that the bill is a serious effort to address the full scope of the problem. This bill would make it less profitable for patent trolls to sue, would offer tools to those unfairly targeted, including end users, and improve patent quality. We appreciate Chairman Goodlatte’s leadership and legislation to address the harms being caused by patent trolls to innovators and innocent parties. Patent trolls predominantly use poor quality business method patents to sue non-tech companies and start-ups. That’s why we also appreciate the Chairman’s focus on an alternative to litigation by making the covered business method review program more effective. The bill gives the PTO a chance to address more bad patents without changing the standard for what’s patentable or risking companies’ strong patent portfolios.”