Favorite It’s often impossible to find out who owns a United States patent. Even people who get sued over patents often can’t figure out who is demanding money from them. That’s even more true when the lawsuit comes from a patent troll wielding a vague software patent, something that is all too common. That’s why…
All posts tagged Legislative Solutions for Patent Reform
Experts Warn Congress: Proposed Changes to Patent Law Would Thwart Innovation
Favorite It should be clear now that messing around with Section 101 of the Patent Act is a bad idea. A Senate subcommittee has just finished hearing testimony about a bill that would wreak havoc on the patent system. Dozens of witnesses have testified, including EFF Staff Attorney Alex Moss. Alex’s testimony [PDF] emphasized EFF’s success in protecting…
Legislation to Reclaim University Invention from the Trolls
Favorite EFF recently launched Reclaim Invention, a project to encourage universities to manage their patent portfolios in a way that maximizes the public benefit. Specifically, we’ve urged universities to sign a Public Interest Patent Pledge not to sell or exclusively license patents to patent assertion entities, also known as patent trolls. EFF is proud to…
An Open Letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley
Favorite Don’t Give Up on Venue Reform Stand up for comprehensive patent reform. Dear Sen. Chuck Grassley, I work at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an organization that fights for digital rights in the U.S. and abroad. Like you, my colleagues and I are deeply concerned about the U.S. patent system and the strain that…
We Can’t Keep Waiting: Pass the VENUE Act This Year
Favorite As the law stands now, patent owners have almost complete control over which federal district to file a case in. That’s a major problem. It lets patent owners exploit significant differences between courts, an advantage that the alleged infringers in patent suits don’t have. It effectively leads to outcomes being determined not by the…
Keep Trolls out of Trade
Favorite Trade Protection Not Troll Protection Act Would Prevent Patent Trolls from Blocking Imports Patent trolls don’t just demand money from innovators; they can actually interfere with international trade and block imports from entering the country. There’s a new bill in Congress designed to take this powerful tactic away from the trolls’ arsenal. We hope…
Tell the Senate: Pass the VENUE Act
Favorite The Venue Reform Bill Won’t Stop Patent Trolls, but It Will Slow Them Down There’s a new bill in Congress that would finally address the egregious forum shopping that dominates patent litigation. The Venue Equity and Non-Uniformity Elimination Act of 2016 (VENUE Act, S. 2733) would bring a modicum of fairness to a broken…
Putting digital rights in the spotlight in 2016
Favorite With a presidential election looming this fall, mass media and social media will be more focused on policy issues over the next several months than likely at any other point until 2020. We’ve put together a questionnaire for the candidates to invite them to explain their own policy platforms. We’ll let you know what…