Patent trolls are soon to be chased away, now that new legislation is clearing the path of innovation. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) has gained widespread contribution and support for his Innovation Act which would make it more difficult for patent trolls to harass innovators and inventers.
“Together, we will ensure the days of those who engage in patent litigation extortion are numbered,” said Goodlatte.
So far, his bill has won approval in the White House, and has bipartisan contributions, with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) working with him on it, and co-sponsors ranging from Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Peter DeFacio (D-Ore), and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who said that “Without a doubt, this will be the single most important patent reform or high-tech bill this Congress considers,” as the National Law Journal reported.
The bill makes it harder to file infringement cases. They can’t be frivolous, but allow judges to limit discovery pending claim construction. The U.S. Judicial Conference would establish rules for discovery, and otherwise hinder the process of making claims that lack specific details on what has in fact been infringed.
This is meant to discourage the abuse of infringement legislation without discouraging innovators. So naturally, it is a popular bill in both parties and across the board.
Making litigators show specific claims first is reasonable. Anyone with a valid patent will have claims to back up their suits.