Google and Amazon call for swift approval of Innovation Act
Google, Amazon and Adobe are among several companies that have urged US law makers to ensure that a bill aimed at tackling abusive patent litigation filed by non-practising entities is passed swiftly.
In a letter sent to members of the US House of Representatives, the group, which also includes technology company Cisco Systems, said it “strongly endorses” the Innovation Act.
The group, known as United for Patent Reform, was formed in January this year with the aim of calling for patent reform in the US.
The letter has been sent to Bob Goodlatte, who sponsored the bill, as well as three other members of the House.
Earlier this month, the House’s Judiciary Committee passed the bill, but Goodlatte, who is chair of the committee, said further amendments are likely as it heads to the full House.
In its letter, sent on July 16, United for Patent Reform said it has “been assured” that the bill’s amendments will require that patent complaints “identify each claim of each allegedly infringed patent and explain how the defendant is infringing”.
“With that amendment, we strongly endorse the Innovation Act and we urge the US House of Representatives to bring this important bill to a vote and pass it swiftly,” the group added.
When it was set up in January, United for Patent Reform made several demands that it said would address the alleged problem of ‘patent trolls’.
Among the suggestions made by the group are that demand letters sent by patent owners should be “truthful” and not “vague and deceptive”.
The group added in its recent letter: “The Innovation Act is a carefully crafted and balanced measure that protects patent owners and incentives to innovate, while at the same time making patent litigation more efficient and reducing abusive patent litigation.”
But Steve Auvil, partner at law firm Squire Patton Boggs, said the approval of the Innovation Act is becoming known as a process of “hurry up and wait”.
“In recent days, United for Patent Reform, lead by powerhouse companies Google, Amazon and Adobe, has weighed in to support early passage of the Innovation Act. While the bill has a lot of support and was expected to be put to a vote this month, a groundswell of opposition has emerged in the House that contends the bill would weaken the patent system for all and not just its target—the often-demonised ‘patent troll’," Auvil said.
He added: “Their voice echoes the sentiments of universities, venture capitalists and the biopharma industry. With this apparent stalemate and the August recess rapidly approaching, it appears that patent reform may have to wait until colder winds begin to blow.”
