The GAO Looks At Patent Infringement Litigation

The GAO has released a report that looks at trends in patent infringement litigation and makes recommendations to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Among the findings were that disputed software patents account for much of recent years’ increase in infringement litigation, and that in a representative sample of infringement lawsuits from 2007 to 2011, about a fifth were brought by non-practicing entities. The study suggests that the PTO itself, by examining trends in infringement litigation, would be able to improve patents and the patent examination process.