US: Despite Senate setback, patent reform still a threat to trolls

Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee shelved a proposed bill aimed at curbing patent abuse, but according to some experts, the setback does not mean patent trolls should not be concerned about patent reform.

According to reports, Congress is set to pick up its task of patent reform after the recess as advocates call for legislation to curb the practice of patent assertion entities excessively suing companies that use those patents or demanding unfair royalty fees.

The Federal Trade Commission announced earlier this month it would be requesting information from 25 patent assertion entities about their practices. Further, reports say, recent court cases have strengthened and clarified patent-related law; a late-April ruling encouraged judges to impose an order for winning parties to be awarded attorneys fees in patent litigation.

An impending Supreme Court case, set to be decided by the end of next month, could offer new methods against patent trolls as well. SCOTUS is slated to offer its opinions of two cases, one regarding patent infringement and the other regarding patent claims.

As reports suggest, several other instances show that the Congressional recess in August is unlikely to take patent reform off the minds of lawmakers.

Full content: Forbes

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