Newegg, Troll Hunting, And The Fight For Patent Reform
from the we-need-reform dept
Techdirt has written about Newegg many times since the company became a leader in fighting back against ridiculous patent lawsuits, going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest trolls around. The company's Chief Legal Officer, Lee Cheng, has vowed to never settle with a patent troll, and so far has never lost an appeal on a patent claim. As he puts it:
As I learned about this uniquely American litigation industry, it became clear that the lawsuits were being filed by people who had identified a way to extract unjust premiums for often worthless patents because of weaknesses in our legal system. The majority of defendants, both large and small companies, are forced to settle with patent trolls because of the high costs of defending themselves.
Newegg has fought back and won — but, as satisfying as it is when a patent troll gets smacked down in court, this is still an unnecessary and unfair tax on innovation, draining time and resources from companies like Newegg that could be better spent doing just about anything other than fending off frivolous patent lawsuits. And for every company that fights back, there are many more that don't have those resources at all, and simply pay the extortionist fees that make patent trolls billions of dollars richer every year. No matter how many companies fight back, the problem won't truly be solved without real patent litigation reform that addresses the roots of trolling and abuse.
Last week marked the one year anniversary of the passage of the Innovation Act in the House, by a bipartisan majority. The bill, which would have made real progress in addressing the patent troll problem, was blocked in the Senate, but there is no good reason this bipartisan bill supported by the President should not be law. Today, the CEA urges you to contact your U.S. Senator and ask them to pass patent litigation reform using the contact tool at that link and embedded below.
The Innovation Movement, sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association, unites those who believe innovation is critical to American global leadership and economic growth. The Innovation Movement uses grassroots advocacy tools to support smart public policies, like patent litigation reform, that foster startups and innovation. To learn more about the Innovation Movement’s work fighting patent trolls, visit trollticker.com, follow on Twitter @imovement and like Innovation Movement on Facebook.
Filed Under: innovation act, lee cheng, patent troll, patents, sponsored post
Companies: newegg
