Press Release

CPF Statement on House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing Regarding Patent Issues

"The Coalition for Patent Fairness would like to thank Chairman Coble, Rep. Nadler and all of the Members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property for holding today’s hearing," said Matt Tanielian, Executive Director of the Coalition. "The testimony of Deputy PTO Director Michelle Lee demonstrates the PTO’s ongoing commitment to fostering innovation by improving patent quality and implementing important changes under the America Invents Act, which have provided important tools to fight patent trolls using the post-grant review process."

"While CPF supports the PTO’s efforts, no amount of change by the PTO alone will be able to solve the systemic patent litigation battle we face every day. Patent trolls continue to send out demand letters seeking five-, six- and seven-figure payoffs from small businesses and retailers. Patent trolls file dozens of lawsuits every single day in troll-friendly jurisdictions against iconic American manufacturers, retailers, and small businesses. Patent trolls put startups out of business because they won’t give in to extortion and don’t have the resources to fight back."

"Only strong legislative reform can eliminate the inequities and abuses in the patent litigation system and put a stop to the destructive troll business model. This year, Congress came closer than ever to addressing the problem, with a strong, bipartisan House vote of 325-91 for the Innovation Act. That success was the result of good work of Chairman Goodlatte, Representative Lofgren, and a large majority of the House Judiciary Committee, as well as the support of the Obama Administration. Unfortunately, the bipartisan deal supported by the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee was derailed by opponents of reform and patent troll supporters. Despite that, we remain committed to addressing this matter at the earliest possible moment. The problems only grow worse and the voices calling for reform continue to expand, so we continue to work for reform."

"We look forward to working with Members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committee to pass strong, comprehensive patent litigation reform legislation."

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The Coalition for Patent Fairness is a diverse group of companies and industry associations dedicated to enhancing U.S. innovation, job creation, and competitiveness in the global market by modernizing and strengthening our nation’s patent system.

Contact:
Beau Phillips, [email protected]