The Hill: Congress can fix America’s broken patent system with one reform by Andrei Iancu and David Kappos
Imagine working for decades pioneering a new technology — a more energy-efficient lightbulb, say, or a new life-saving medical device — only to have your invention stolen and released on the market without your permission.
Luckily, you have patented your new idea. And so, you take the patent violator to court and win.
One would assume that such a victory would put an end to the theft. But that’s not how the legal system currently works. Thanks to a 2006 Supreme Court decision, eBay v. MercExchange, patent violators are allowed to keep selling a stolen product, even after their victims have prevailed in court.