Press Releases
Coalition for Patent Fairness Applauds House Passage of The Innovation Act of 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 5, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The following can be attributed to Matthew Tanielian, executive director of the Coalition for Patent Fairness:
The Coalition for Patent Fairness thanks the broad, bipartisan group of House lawmakers who came together today in support of innovation and America’s businesses to pass H.R. 3309, The Innovation Act, with a remarkable 325-91 vote. The expediency with which this bill has moved through the House demonstrates the extreme need for America’s businesses to receive relief from the burdens imposed by patent trolls.
CPF Statement on Passage of the Innovation Act of 2013 Through the House Judiciary Committee
FOR IMMEDIATE: November 21, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for Patent Fairness today thanks Chairman Goodlatte, Representative Lofgren, and the members of the House Judiciary Committee for their work yesterday on the passage of H.R. 3309, the Innovation Act of 2013, through committee. The strong bipartisan vote reflects a recognition among committee members of the need to address ongoing abuses of our patent system in order to allow America's economy to thrive.
Letter to Senator Hatch regarding the Patent Litigation Integrity Act of 2013
The Honorable Orrin Hatch
U.S. Senate
104 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Hatch:
The Coalition for Patent Fairness, which is comprised of leading companies in the manufacturing and information technology industries, writes to express our strong support for the Patent Litigation Integrity Act of 2013 (S. 1612). We believe that a strong and robust end-of-case fee shifting provision that provides for a bonding mechanism is important to providing much needed balance into the current patent system.
CPF Statement of Support on the Introduction of The Innovation Act of 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 23, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for Patent Fairness today thanks Chairman Goodlatte and Representatives DeFazio, Coble, Lofgren, Smith, Eshoo, Chaffetz, Farenthold, and Bachus for the introduction of The Innovation Act of 2013. Patent assertion entities, otherwise known as patent trolls, are shameless in their efforts to hold up legitimate businesses through threat letters and abusive lawsuits, and it is time for Congressional action to defend America’s businesses against these attacks.
This legislation takes a major step forward in curbing the worst abuses of patent trolls, and CPF supports efforts to move the bill promptly through the House Judiciary Committee and toward full House approval as quickly as possible. CPF believes that this bill would directly address the harm to the economy posed by patent assertion entities, estimated at more than $29 billion per year, not counting the value of lost innovation.
Coalition for Patent Fairness Statement on Goodlatte Discussion Draft
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) is very encouraged by the thoughtful discussion draft addressing patent litigation abuse released by House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte. CPF believes that Chairman Goodlatte's draft legislation, if enacted, would help address the abuse of our current patent system by patent assertion entities, commonly referred to as patent trolls.
CPF supports this draft as a great first step in the process. We call on Chairman Goodlatte to move this legislation through the House Judiciary Committee and on to full House passage as soon as possible.
GAO Report Illustrates Need for Congressional Action to Stop Patent Trolls
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The GAO released a Congressionally mandated report today documenting the rise in patent lawsuits over the past several years, up 30% from just 2010 to 2011. Patent trolls and profiteers - those that use their patent ownership for the sole purpose of demanding payment from operating companies - have ramped up their activities in recent years, expanding their targets beyond technology companies to include small businesses, retailers and grocers, financial institutions, hospitals and pharmacies, car dealers, real estate agents and thousands of other businesses. The GAO report determined that the number of defendants in these suits - many of them end-users - has exploded, increasing 129% from 2007 to 2011.
These findings reinforce the position that the Coalition for Patent Fairness has long held: there are fundamental flaws in the existing patent system in need of immediate attention. To that end, CPF supports and requests Congress to consider legislative proposals that:
- Dry up the financial incentives that have allowed patent trolls to thrive and multiply;
- End costly and abusive discovery fishing expeditions; and
- Increase transparency, so patent trolls can't hide behind shell companies and non-operating corporations to avoid accountability.
50 Organizations Send Letter to Congressional Leadership Urging Solutions to Patent Abuse
July 17, 2013
The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
The Honorable John Boehner
Speaker
United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader
United States Senate
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives
Dear Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Boehner, and Minority Leader Pelosi:
The undersigned organizations strongly encourage Congressional efforts to address abuses of the legal system by certain patent assertion entities, commonly referred to as patent trolls. Managing frivolous patent suits unfortunately has become an expensive distraction for a large cross section of American businesses. Instead of focusing on innovation, job creation, and economic growth, we are forced to deal with legal games that have serious consequences.
CPF Statement Supporting the “Patent Litigation and Innovation Act of 2013”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) welcomes the introduction of the Patent Litigation and Innovation Act of 2013 by Representatives Jeffries and Farenthold. The bill reflects a bipartisan recognition of the need to address systematic patent litigation abuses. We commend Representatives Jeffries and Farenthold for their leadership.
The impact of patent trolls is growing dramatically across the U.S. economy. The number of troll suits has quadrupled since 2005 and now represents a majority of all patent litigation. Most targets are small- and medium-sized companies from a broad range of industries, with the majority of suits arising outside the tech sector.
CPF Statement Supporting the White House Patent Reform Recommendations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) applauds President Obama for expressing his support for combating the abusive patent litigation problem in America.
President Obama's patent reform recommendations highlight a growing consensus for action against patent assertion entities, or patent trolls, which have expanded their burdensome activities against America's most innovative industries. Specifically, we applaud the inclusion of fee-shifting as a core principle of the President's plan. A strong fee-shifting provision that evens the playing field between trolls and their targets is essential for reducing the incentives for abusive litigation, and we look forward to working with the Administration and Members of Congress to achieve that goal.