PROTECT
AMERICAN
BUSINESSES
American businesses – small and large – face abusive patent litigation and rely on important tools to challenge the low-quality patents that fuel the abuse.
WHO WE ARE
Representing over 90 million U.S. employees, United for Patent Reform is a broad coalition of diverse American businesses, small and large – from national construction companies, automobile manufacturers, and technology businesses to Main Street retail shops, REALTORS®, hotels, grocers, convenience stores, and restaurants – that have come together to advocate for a comprehensive solution to abuses of our current patent system.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Improved patent quality
so that businesses don’t waste precious resources fighting patents that should have never issued, and valid patents protect real innovation.
Better tools
for weeding out bad patents, so that businesses can fight back instead of settling.
Eliminating abusive litigation practices
like misleading demand letters, excessive discovery, and suits against end users.
THE THREAT
Abusive patent litigation has been used by non-practicing entities (NPEs), often called “patent trolls,” to threaten and shake down American businesses of all sizes and across all sectors of the economy. Anyone that uses software in commerce is a vulnerable target for NPEs that buy up low-quality patents for the purpose of extracting “hold up” settlements. The high level of NPE litigation places a crushing burden on U.S. businesses and diverts funds from job creation and R&D.
WHO'S AFFECTED
LATEST NEWS
Michael Skelps
President, Capstone Photography in Connecticut
Capstone Photography was sued for infringement of three vague and overly broad patents relating to how event photos are posted online for searching, viewing and purchase. Without even a single line item in our budget for legal defense, we spent $100,000 to defend against the suit.