Goodlatte promises patent litigation reforms

Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has promised to work on reforms to discourage abusive patent litigation.

Goodlatte revealed his agenda for the 115th Congress in a speech before the Federalist Society at the National Press Club on Wednesday, February 1.

The committee will work on reforms to discourage abusive patent litigation and also reforms to keep US patent laws up to date.

“Collectively, these reforms will help alleviate the wasteful burden of unnecessarily expensive litigation costs, thereby freeing small businesses to flourish, unleash innovation, and create new jobs for Americans,” he said.

Copyright is also a top priority for Goodlatte, who said that the committee will build on its review of US copyright laws to “ensure that America’s global leadership in creativity and innovation continues in the 21st century and beyond”.

In December last year, WIPR reported that the committee had revealed a set of proposed reforms for modernising the US Copyright Office to ensure it “keeps pace in the digital age”.

Among the reforms are requiring the office to maintain an up-to-date digital, searchable database of all copyrighted works and associated copyright ownership information, and granting the office autonomy from the Library of Congress.

The committee will periodically release policy proposals on select individual issue areas within the larger copyright system that are “in need of reform where there is a potential for consensus”.

Goodlatte first announced the intention to undertake a comprehensive review of US copyright law in April 2013.

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