Senators Urged To Slow Down On Troll Legislation

The Innovation Act, said by its supporters to be targeting abusive litigation by patent trolls,  overwhelmingly passed the House, but there are indications things will be stickier in the Senate. In the first day of Senate hearings this week, lawmakers heard from parties who voiced reservations about at least some provisions. The parties included the 21st Century Patent Reform group, the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the vice president of a small pharmaceutical company. Three major universities – Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois – also weighed in against the bill, saying it would create “a powerful disincentive” for them to enforce their patent rights. Much of the opposition honed in the bills’s loser-pays provision, although a witness from Adobe Systems countered that it would only apply in egregious cases and serious challenges from universities would not be targeted.