Yesterday, a bipartisan group of 42 state Attorneys General sent a letter to the leadership on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation supporting Congressional efforts to pass patent reform legislation.
The AGs explain the harms of the abuse of the patent system by trolls on our economy and on small businesses, including not just tech startups but also ‘main street’ businesses, like banks, hospitals, restaurants and hotels. They also explain that they have launched investigations and enforcement actions, including on notorious trolls that hold patents on things like scanners and WiFi, based on their authority to protect businesses from unfair and deceptive acts. (We’ve covered some of the state AG suits, such as Vermont, Minnesota, and Nebraska suing MPHJ.)
In addition to supporting patent reform (both the pending Senate legislation and the Innovation Act that the House passed), the AGs specifically addressed some concerns and requests regarding state enforcement authority, jurisdiction over bad-faith demand letters, transparency for demand letters, and patent litigation reform.
We are pleased that there continues to be growing support for patent reform, and look forward to the Senate acting.
