For immediate release
September 4, 2007
Consumer Groups Back House Patent Bill
Five leading consumer groups have told the House leadership they support wide-ranging patent legislation that is currently scheduled to be taken up by the full House later this week.
In a letter sent Aug. 31, Consumer Federation of America, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Knowledge Ecology International, Public Knowledge and U.S. Public Interest Research Group said the legislation “takes a significant first step towards improving patent quality and reducing the costs and uncertainties of litigation.” The bill, HR 1908, is sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property.
The groups said the patent approval process will benefit from provisions in the bill that
- allow for more comprehensive reviews of patent applications, before and after approval;
- for ensuring that the apportionment of damages for infringement are more fair and
- for clarifying what will constitute “willful infringement.”
A copy of the letter is here
and the latest version of the bill is here