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Patent troll venue abuse must stop in the Eastern District of Texas
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Patent trolls are threatening businesses, jobs and innovation.
Tell lawmakers to pass patent reform legislation (S.1137/H.R. 9) now.
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Make your voice heard.
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It matters to us.
American businesses large and small across many industries are being held hostage by patent trolls. This must change.
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It matters to them.
The chorus of those calling for reform has grown louder and clearer.
Jim Johnson
President, Mr. Jim's Pizza
"We were sued alongside 50 others in the restaurant industry for allegedly violating a patent that relates to online search engines featuring our store information on a map."
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Matthew R. Shay
President & CEO, National Retail Federation
“Instead of creating new jobs and investing in new technologies, businesses large and small across many industries...continue to be forced to divert scarce resources to fighting frivolous lawsuits and overly broad claims made by Patent Assertion Entities, or ‘patent trolls’.”
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Michael Skelps
President, Capstone Photography in Connecticut
"My company, Capstone Photography, was sued for the infringement of three vague and overly broad patents relating to how event photos are posted online for searching, viewing and purchase...Our small business, without even a single line item in our budget for legal defense, spent $100,000 to defend against the suit."
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Julie Samuels
Executive Director of Engine
“The freedom to innovate has always been a central part of the American dream. For the sake of our economy and our identity, we must not let innovation become a legal liability. A patent should be valued for what it covers and how it incentivizes innovation, not for its litigation value. The PATENT Act would go a long way to making that the case.”
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Michael Beckerman
President & CEO, Internet Association
“Patent litigation reform remains as much a problem in need of a practical solution in 2015, as it was in 2013 when the Innovation Act passed in the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. The changes to the law brought about by the Supreme Court (which could be reversed or diluted in future cases) cannot be compared to the comprehensive and meaningful reform only Congress can implement.”
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Chairman Bob Goodlatte
U.S. House Judiciary Committee
“[S]upport is even stronger in this new Senate. They are very interested in beginning to really start on [patent reform, and] we are collaborating with them."
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It matters to me.
Fight patent trolls who attack businesses
November 2, 2015
In mythology, trolls hide under a bridge, ready to pounce on unsuspecting travelers.Trolls are ugly creatures on the Internet, too, intent on sucking pleasure out of good people’s lives. Trolls are no better in the world of patent law. American businesses are being beset by patent trolls who use flaws in our current patent laws to attack companies, large and small, in nearly every economic sector. Businesses are unexpectedly being beset by patent trolls who confront them with letters demanding payment for alleged patent infringement. Even though the companies have done nothing wrong, they are faced with two poor choices – to pay the troll a settlement amount or to pay legal fees to challenge the unfounded allegation.
A Troll Story for Halloween - A Patent Troll, That Is
November 2, 2015
If Congress needs another reason to act on the Protecting American Talent and Entrepreneurship (PATENT) Act before the end of the year, perhaps we could introduce our legislators to Michael Skelps. Michael Skelps is the general manager of Capstone Photography, a Connecticut business that created a system of making photography from sporting events available to athletes. It was a successful small business that employed five full-time people around three years ago, when Skelps received a letter claiming that Capstone had infringed on somebody else's patent and threatening a lawsuit.
Let Rodney Gilstrap Do His Job
November 2, 2015
Patent trolls love to sue inventors for actually building things they could only dream of. After all, the threat of massive court costs is a very effective weapon with which to extort people. But what if they could also threaten people with having to fight them in a court where victory is almost assured for the troll? As it happens, that’s exactly what many trolls can threaten people with, thanks to the existence of the infamous East Texas district court, also known as the patent “rocket docket,” where inventors are railroaded and trolls reign supreme, thanks to the unfair practices of its one presiding judge, Rodney Gilstrap.
Patent troll venue abuse must stop in the Eastern District of Texas
October 29, 2015
Imagine you are a patent troll, who asserts bad-quality patents or ones that don't cover what you claim. You count on defendants paying you off to avoid high legal defense costs. All you need is to avoid being dismissed quickly. Unfortunately for you, the Supreme Court has now made it easier to dismiss frivolous patent lawsuits. What do you do? For too many trolls, the answer has been to file suit in the Eastern District of Texas. This district has been by far the top venue for patent litigation. From April-June 2015, more patent cases were filed in the Eastern District than in all other federal courts combined. One judge, Judge Rodney Gilstrap, presides over about 17 percent of all patent cases in the United States. Judge Gilstrap recently eliminated almost 170 cases filed by patent troll eDekka — but that's only about 10 percent of his caseload. The Eastern District as a whole has about 30 percent of all patent cases.
It matters to you.
I support taking back our patent litigation system.
.@IWF shows Congress another reason to act on patent reform and #fixpatents before the end of the year: https://t.co/uDKUGzkkQk
RT @GaryShapiro: Michigan businesses are being targeted by #patent trolls. Unfortunately, MI is not alone. My look: … https://t.co/dMkeM3GEYE
A whopping 839 patent infringement cases were filed in one troll-friendly court in E Texas this quarter: #fixpatents https://t.co/WMMRP9JERd
RT @IWF: Biz owner takes on #patent troll & wins—but, it cost him $100K in legal fees. #PatentReform … https://t.co/EtjopEjbz4
America's innovators & #smallbiz support patent reform. Check out their letter to Congress, via @EngineOrg: https://t.co/PoBWgTLUkL
RT @imovement: Thank you @nwi for speaking out against patent trolls #fixpatents https://t.co/Et7G5pzj7p
Take back our patent litigation system.