The latest supporters of robust patent reform—the kind that we're optimistic will come out of the Innovation Act—are more than 60 law professors. These professors, led by by Prof. Brian J. Love, sent a letter to Congress today joining the chorus of many disparate groups, such as venture capitalists and inventors, who have called on Congress to pass reform that would stem the harm patent trolls are wreaking on the innovation economy.
As the professors write:
Brazen patent owners have been known to assert patents they actually do not own or, conversely, to go to great lengths to hide the fact that they actually do own patents being used in abusive ways. Some patent owners have also sought double recovery by accusing companies selling or using products made by manufacturers that already paid to license the asserted patent. Still others have threatened or initiated litigation without first disclosing any specific information about how, if at all, their targets arguably infringe the asserted patents.
The professors' letter will especially resonate because as they write:
We also wish to stress that as scholars and researchers we have no direct financial stake in the outcome of legislative efforts to reform our patent laws. We do not write on behalf of any specific industry or trade association. Rather, we are motivated solely by our own convictions informed by years of study and research that the above proposals will on net advance the best interests of our country as a whole.
It looks likely that the House of Representatives will be voting on the Innovation Act before the end of 2013. We hope you'll join EFF, 60+ law professors, and the many, many others who think the world will be better off if it becomes law.