Press Release

CPF Statement on White House Briefing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Coalition for Patent Fairness thanks Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, NEC Director Gene Sperling, Acting PTO Director Michelle Lee, and U.S. CTO Todd Park for the executive actions taken today and for their strong public remarks calling for Senate passage of patent litigation reform legislation. Following is a statement by CPF Executive Director Matt Tanielian:

“The members of the Coalition for Patent Fairness and the thousands of businesses – large and small – under attack by patent trolls thank President Obama and his Administration for making patent reform a priority.

The actions taken today by the White House are important and underscore the dramatic need for legislative overhaul of our patent system. The House overwhelmingly voted to reform the system; now it’s up to the Senate to act. This is one of the few major economic initiatives Congress can pass into law this year. We will continue to work with the White House and Congress to move patent reform legislation over the finish line as soon as possible.

Last December, under the leadership of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass The Innovation Act on a strong bipartisan basis, 325-91. The Innovation Act takes important steps to discourage abusive behavior and provide productive businesses with the tools they need to defend themselves against patent trolls.

Now, legislative action has moved to the Senate. Patent litigation reform legislation introduced by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, Senator Mike Lee, Senator John Cornyn, and Senator Orrin Hatch has strong support across the country from businesses, consumers, inventors, investors, and patent holders. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on this issue last year, as well as four staff briefings earlier this year. Now is the time for Senate Democrats and Republicans to pass bipartisan legislation that puts an end to the worst abuses of patent trolls.

The overwhelming support for this issue from a broad cross-section of businesses, consumers, and elected officials demonstrates the importance of patent litigation reform to support innovation and spur economic growth.

We again thank President Obama for his leadership on this issue. The Administration’s putting out a patent litigation reform agenda last year was a key catalyst in this debate and its support for the House passed Innovation Act was pivotal to its success. We look forward to continuing our work with the White House and Congress to make comprehensive patent reform a reality.”

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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: Cameron Coursen, [email protected]

For more information, visit http://www.patentfairness.org.