Legal Newsline: Groups continue to rail against Innovation Act, which could be considered by House next week, by Jessica Karmasek
This post originally appeared in Legal Newsline on June 29, 2015.
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – A coalition of universities, inventors, venture capitalists and small businesses continue to oppose House-introduced patent reform legislation, which could be considered by the House floor in the coming weeks.
The Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the Innovation Alliance, the Medical Device Manufacturers Association, the National Small Business Association, the National Venture Capital Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Small Business Technology Council, and the Alliance of U.S. Startups and Inventors for Jobs said in a statement Thursday that H.R. 9, the Innovation Act, still needs “significant work.”
The coalition argues that the legislation, re-introduced by U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., in February, should not be considered for floor action in the House in its current form.
“H.R. 9 would dramatically weaken intellectual property rights and undermine a patent system that is vital to incentivizing innovation and job creation in our country,” the groups said. “The bill also fails to adequately address abusive practices against legitimate patent owners.
“We urge House members to meaningfully revise H.R. 9 to target abuses of patent trolls without damaging our nation’s entire innovation ecosystem.”
The groups said they expect the House to take up the bill as early as next week.