News

Invention is as old as human existence, and no country has promoted and thrived on invention more than the United States thanks to its patent system. But is American invention at risk? Framed around the story of two first-time inventors, Inventing to Nowhere is a new documentary that explores the stakes in policy fights over the American innovation economy, with interviews of legendary inventor Dean Kamen, historians, members of Congress and other key players in the effort to keep the country innovating.

On December 10, 2014, a broad coalition signed a letter to Congress about legislation that would weaken patents. Read the letter below: Broad Coalition Signs Letter to Congress.

How important are intellectual property rights to the United States economy? Important enough that other nations seek to emulate the system that is considered the gold standard worldwide. Yet now, as David Kappos, former director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office shared on a recent panel, those same countries wonder why America seems focused on destroying this key economic driver.

On Monday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.

Public perceptions have played a key role in the legislative debate over patent policy. So we have been tracking some interesting surveys that relate to patent issues: Lex Machina shared a study that showed patent case filings in September of 2014 are down 40% year-to-year.

Why is the United States patent system important? This question has a number of possible answers, and it is a question that we at Save The Inventor have been actively trying to address. Recently the Intellectual Property Owners Association posed this same inquiry to our nation’s youth by asking them to create a video showcasing their understanding of the importance of the patent system.

At Save The Inventor, our goal is to be a resource for the latest news, facts, interviews and the occasional opinion about legislative changes to our patent system and potential risks to the best incentive for inventors and innovation in the industrial world. It is our belief that any effort to address abuse in patent litigation through changes to the law should be narrowly focused to avoid placing new burdens on patent holders, and carefully crafted to preserve the role of an independent judiciary.

As the summer comes to a close, the effort to push for educated and thoughtful patent reform begins to pick up once again. This week’s highlights include articles covering patent rights and grants, as well as a look into intellectual property and its effect on economic growth.

This week’s patent news roundup kicks off with a post from Patent Truth that targets the accuracy of the “patent troll” narrative. The post contains multiple challenges to the stance of those who are pro-patent reform, and the main take away is evident in this quote: “news media…and many other observers of the patent-policy debate now seem to approach the topic with an assumption that all patent lawsuits are detrimental unless proven otherwise.

The Targeting Rogue and Opaque Letters Act (TROL Act) is a bill crafted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee aimed at stopping abusive patent demand practices. We support the approach taken in the TROL Act because we believe this is a balanced solution that punishes bad actors while preserving the ability of legitimate patent holders to protect their property rights.