Commerce Sec. Gary Locke wrote an editorial for Politico yesterday explaining how reforming our outdated patent system would spur innovation and boost the economy. His sentiment that the U.S. needs to refocus on nurturing innovation is one we couldn’t agree with more. We also agree in principle with his focus on the need for alternatives to litigation (“post-grant review”) and secure funding plus fee-setting authority for the Patent and Trademark Office.
CCIA has been calling for Congress to enact real patent reform for years. The tech industry needs a patent system that rewards real innovation – not patenting.
The House has a bill that makes a good start toward fixing a badly broken system. We, and many tech companies, supported the patent reform legislation and encouraged its passage. However, the latest compromise proposed in the Senate Judiciary Committee weakens the proposed patent reform bill to the point it can no longer be called a reform bill. We urge policymakers, when defining what constitutes “reform”, to look to stakeholders in IT, particularly those whose perspectives are not clouded by their patent-filing prowess.