News

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.

Last week the National Journal reported that President Obama is poised to name Phil Johnson as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Former Acting Director of the USPTO and Commissioner for Patents says, “Phil is very knowledgeable, fair and willing to listen to opposing views.

This week we hear more about the positive effects of the Targeting Rogue and Opaque Letters Act, or TROL Act. This bill is one step in the right direction towards smart patent reform.

With patent legislation reform off the table for the moment, there is now time to address the real problems with the proposed bill. It is our hope that Senate Judiciary Chairman Leahy’s decision to delay patent reform legislation serves as an opportunity to take a step back, and look at the unintended consequences of current propositions.

If it’s consistency you seek, the people and companies promoting patent reform have certainly delivered. They have an uncanny ability to identify the “bad guy” and play out that storyline whether it’s based in fact or not.

This week’s roundup includes articles from high profile news outlets such as Slate and Re/code, as well as a statement from a group of American inventors regarding Leahy's decision to delay patent legislation. Slate looks into the history of patent litigation and in response, applies the “Patent Troll” title to some of America’s most famous inventors including Thomas Edison and Charles Goodyear.

Big victory today as Senate Judiciary Chairman Leahy (D-VT) delayed patent legislation once again. As we have said in the past, we don't believe that this bill is being given the time and consideration it deserves.

Why is Congress considering patent reform legislation that will chill R&D investment, devalue patents and create an unfairly balanced environment for large infringers vs. small inventors? That was the theme on April 1, when Bloomberg Government held an in-depth panel discussion in Washington, DC about the potential overhaul of the patent system.