The Senate's version of a bill to curb patent troll abuses suffered a slight setback Thursday when Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the judiciary committee, was forced to push back consideration of his bill to next week, April 3.
Following up on the President's pledge to combat patent trolls, the White House plans to announce Thursday afternoon additional executive actions and call on Congress "to finish the job."
If you blinked, you might have missed President Obama's flyby support in his State of the Union for legislation to stop abusive patent troll practices. It amounted to one sentence early in the speech:"And let's pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless litigation," Obama said Tuesday night.
Congress may be out of town, but that doesn't mean it can hide from Beltway lobbyists. Giving lawmakers a little nudge to make sure they keep their promise to take up patent reform legislation addressing patent troll abuses when Congress returns Sept. 9, four associations are launching an ad campaign tomorrow in 17 states.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office on patent infringement lawsuits could give lawmakers the firepower they need to move reform legislation aimed at curbing abusive patent troll practices.
An omnibus bill addressing patent troll abuses is likely to be introduced next week, before the August congressional recess. That was the message delivered Thursday to a coalition of lobbyists in a pair of meetings with both chairmen and members of the House and Senate judiciary committees.
