Silicon Valley fights for patent reform

US industrial companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble, are fighting Silicon Valley over patent legislation.

US industrial companies are fighting Silicon Valley over patent legislation. Pincasso

Silicon Valley wants to make it more difficult for patent holders to file infringment suits to guard against patent trolls, or people who acquire patents only to sue anyone who infringes on them. Twenty-seven industry companies sent a letter protesting the reforms to Senators Patrick Leahy and Chuck Grassley, two members of the Senate judiciary committee drafting the patent reform bill. The letter said the proposed reforms “seriously weaken the ability of every patent holder to enforce a patent.”  Michael Beckerman of the Internet Association, a tech lobbying group, said: “I don’t think the letter is fair or accurate...A lot of provisions we’re pushing for would make the patent system stronger.”  Source: Financial Times

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