Press Releases
Coalition for Patent Fairness Statement on Senate Judiciary Committee Passage
WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 3, 2011: The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) issued the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee passed S.23, the Patent Reform Act of 2011 out of committee:
“The Coalition for Patent Fairness is encouraged the Senate is addressing patent reform, but the current approach is not yet the solution.
“Today’s committee action took a step in the right direction by removing controversial provisions of the legislation, but more work needs to be done. The Feinstein Amendment regarding willfulness was accepted by the committee and was a significant improvement to the bill.
“The Coalition for Patent Fairness believes that the bill in its current form has significant problems and we look forward to working with Congress to improve it.”
Coalition for Patent Fairness Opposes Current Direction of Senate Patent Reform Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 2, 2011: The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) issued the following statement in advance of the Senate Judiciary Committee mark-up of S.23, the Patent Reform Act of 2011:
"The Coalition for Patent Fairness opposes S.23 because innovative technology companies would like to take a step forward - not backward. This bill is supposed to be a consensus issue for stakeholders in the patent system. Right now, there is no real consensus.
“The current bill does not reflect the needs of our nation’s most innovative companies who constantly face the growing burden of abusive, unjustified patent infringement claims.
“The Coalition for Patent Fairness believes the path to patent reform must begin with an open conversation among the technological leaders of today and the innovators of tomorrow. If Congress goes at this alone, America’s patent problems will continue but American innovation will not.”
Members of Senate High-Tech Task Force Ask Senate Judiciary Leadership Not to Weaken the Patent Reform Act of 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 30, 2009: Today, five members of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions asking them to oppose efforts to weaken the Patent Reform Act of 2009.
“It has been suggested in some circles that the tech industry is open to modifications of the key provisions of the Senate Bill, S.515. In fact, the members of the Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) are concerned about efforts to weaken the Senate Judiciary approved bill and oppose such efforts. CPF members expressed appreciation for the principled stand in favor of a strong bill reflected in the High-Tech Task Force letter,” the Coalition for Patent Fairness said.
CPF Statement on the Nomination of Victoria Espinel as IP Coordnator
WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 25, 2009: The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) issued the following statement regarding the nomination of Victoria Espinel as the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator or “IP czar”:
“In nominating Victoria Espinel as the IP czar, President Obama selected a knowledgeable and true leader on intellectual property-related issues. The experience Ms. Espinel has gained as founder of Bridging the Innovation Divide and as former Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation in the Office of the United States Trade Representative will ensure U.S. intellectual property is protected in foreign markets and will allow her to promote U.S. innovation, ingenuity, and new products, which will in turn drive our economy forward.”
CPF Supports Bill To Prevent PTO Furloughs
Chairman Conyers and Ranking Member Smith Offer Solution to Pending Furloughs at Patent Office
WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 7, 2009: The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) issued the following statement regarding legislation offered by House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and Ranking Member Lamar Smith to provide funding for the United States Patent and Trademark Office to prevent pending furloughs:
“CPF supports efforts in Congress to ensure that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has the resources it needs to review patent applications in a timely manner in order to facilitate innovation and job creation. With this legislation, Chairman Conyers and ranking Member Smith have put forward a responsible solution to ensure the PTO continues to operate and that pending layoffs that will lead to additional delays in patent processing do not occur.
CPF statement on the nomination of David J. Kappos for PTO Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 18, 2009: The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) issued the following statement regarding the nomination of David J. Kappos as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office:
"We applaud President Obama's nomination of David J. Kappos to serve as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Mr. Kappos has the background and experience needed to lead the U.S. Patent Office at a time when it faces significant operational challenges in an ever-evolving competitive global marketplace.
CPF: Committee Action on Patent Reform Bill an “Important Step Forward” on Meaningful Reform
Coalition of leading technology companies applauds Senators Leahy, Feinstein, Specter and Hatch for leadership on reform
April 2, 2009 – Washington, DC: The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) today praised the Senate Judiciary Committee for taking an “important step forward” in addressing long-overdue reforms to the U.S. Patent System. The Judiciary Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy and Senators Diane Feinstein, Arlen Specter and Orrin Hatch, advanced S. 515, the Patent Reform Act of 2009, out of the Committee today.
CPF today released the following statement on the progress of this important legislation that will modernize the patent system that hasn’t seen significant reforms since 1952:
“The Coalition for Patent Fairness applauds Chairman Leahy for championing long-overdue reform of our patent system and also thanks Senators Feinstein, Hatch, and Specter for their leadership on these issues.
Coalition for Patent Fairness Statement on Developments with Patent Reform Bill
March 31, 2009 – Washington, DC: The Coalition for Patent Fairness issued the following statement regarding the developments with the Patent Reform Act of 2009 before the Senate Judiciary Committee today:
“We applaud Chairman Leahy's leadership and the efforts of Senators Feinstein, Specter and Hatch to reach an agreement to move patent reform forward. Reports indicate much progress has been made, and we look forward to continuing progress toward resolving the remaining issues that the legislation must address in order to achieve effective patent reform.”
28 CEOs Send Letter to President Obama in Support of Patent Reform
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 25, 2009: Today, 28 CEOs from leading American companies wrote a letter to President Obama in support of patent reform. The letter urges the President to support the Patent Reform Act of 2009, which is in line with the Administration’s technology policy objectives as set out on www.whitehouse.gov. An excerpt from the letter is below:
“We share your sense of urgency on revitalizing the U.S. economy and believe that patent reform is an important part of that effort. According to a study by the Information Technology Industry Foundation, information technology has driven nearly all of the economic growth in the United States over the last decade, adding $2 trillion annually to the economy. Modernizing the U.S. patent system and stopping the abuses we see now will greatly enhance our efforts to innovate by creating U.S.-based jobs to help better lead our nation’s economic recovery.”
Locke: Innovation and Job Creation “Critical” in Assessing Patent Reform
Coalition for Patent Fairness Lauds Commerce Secretary Nominee’s Pledge to Use Economic Data When Considering Reform Measures
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 20, 2009: Innovation and job creation are important factors in determining patent reform policies, according to President Obama’s Commerce Secretary Designee Gary Locke.
In written testimony provided to the Senate Commerce Committee, Locke said, “[I]nnovation is critical to creating jobs and bringing us out of the current economic downturn.” His comments echo the Obama Administration’s position that patent reform will spur innovation and job creation and will be part of the Administration’s overall economic policy.