On April 29, the Protecting American Talent and Entrepreneurship Act, or "PATENT Act" was introduced in the Senate. The bill is co-sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), along with a long list of fellow committee members: Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Mike Lee (R- Utah), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
Many of the changes in the bill are aimed at making it more difficult for patent trolls to sue or extort companies, according to a summary released by the co-sponsors. The legislation, for example, would require patent trolls to provide more information about an alleged patent infringement in letters demanding payment.
NAR together with the United for Patent Reform Coalition supports the bill as a good first step. NAR will continue to work with Senate to ensure that Congress enacts common sense patent litigation reform that puts an end to the abusive tactics of patent trolls who prey upon our members