SIIA Applauds Judiciary Committee Focus on Patent Trolls at the ITC, Calls for Action to End Abuse
SIIA Applauds Judiciary Committee Focus on Patent Trolls at the ITC, Calls for Action to End Abuse
Washington, DC – April 16, 2012 – The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal association representing the software and digital content industries, today applauded the House Judiciary Committee today’s hearing focused on the impact of Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) on U.S. competitiveness and job creation. PAEs, defined by the Federal Trade Commission as firms that rely on patents they purchase and assert after a product is already in production, are increasingly bringing cases before the International Trade Commission.
SIIA President Ken Wasch issued the following statement on the hearing being held today by the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property.
“It has become increasingly clear that strong action is needed to address the growing problem of ITC abuse by patent trolls. With the Judiciary hearing today, and others that have come before it, Congress is moving in the right direction. As the focus of today’s hearing makes clear, PAEs are having a very real and significant impact on American innovation and jobs.
“The rise in PAE patent cases is undermining the core purpose of the ITC – to protect domestic industry from abusive trade action. PAEs, which produce nothing and are sometimes foreign-based, use the ITC simply to gain leverage and demand outrageous licensing fees from legitimate domestic industries. This abuse costs jobs, hurts our economy and threatens innovation.”
About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 700 leading software and information companies.