Legal Newsline: Markup of House patent reform bill delayed, by Jessica Karmasek
This post originally appeared in Legal Newsline on May 28, 2015.
WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – The markup of one of the more aggressive pieces of patent reform legislation has been delayed.
Last week, The Hill reported that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee planned to mark up H.R. 9, more commonly known as the Innovation Act.
However, House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte — also the legislation’s lead sponsor — decided to hold off after some concerns were raised about the bill.
A number of special interest groups said they are relieved the committee chose to wait.
They include: the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the Council on Government Relations (COGR), the Innovation Alliance (IA), the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA), the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and the Alliance of U.S. Startups and Inventors for Jobs (USIJ).
“As representatives of a broad coalition of universities, inventors, manufacturing technology and life science companies, venture capitalists and startup communities, we welcome the House Judiciary Committee’s decision to delay the markup of H.R. 9, the ‘Innovation Act,’” they said in a joint statement.
“The patent system has proven itself to be an essential engine for innovation and economic growth throughout U.S. history. It is critical that Congress take the time to get it right before making further comprehensive changes to that system.”
The groups argue that any new patent legislation should address abusive patent litigation but without risking harm to the value and enforceability of legitimate patents.