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
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.