This has been quite a busy week for patents!
First of all, a few Supreme Court updates: On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard two oral arguments on patent issues, Octane and Highmark. Yesterday, CCIA filed an amicus brief in another Supreme Court case, Alice v. CLS Bank.
Next up, some action in the Senate: Yesterday, Senators McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Rockefeller (D-W.V.) introduced the Transparency in Assertion of Patents Act to help fix the demand letter problem, which joins the eleven other bills that have been introduced in the House and Senate. And on Monday, 42 state Attorneys General sent a letter to the Senate urging patent reform.
Also, on Tuesday, Patent Progress released a video telling the stories of two entrepreneurs in Illinois whose small businesses have been harmed by patent trolls. It really shows how much we need patent reform. Conveniently, there’s a new way to tell your Senator that you want reform. This week, EFF, CCIA, Engine Advocacy, and the App Developers Alliance launched a petition on Trolling Effects for inventors, entrepreneurs, investors, and concerned citizens to tell the Senate they want patent reform. Sign it!
Did we miss something? Questions or suggestions? Feel free to leave a comment below, mention us on Twitter (@PatentProgress), or email us: patentprogress[AT]ccianet[DOT]org
