Tech groups seek targeted changes, if any, to PTO’s review process
Four tech advocacy groups urged lawmakers Friday to avoid fundamental changes to the process for challenging patents at the USPTO — but they suggested a few ways they might improve the process. In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee members, Engine, Public Knowledge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the R Street Institute emphasize the importance of the inter partes review process, which was created in the 2011 America Invents Act as a way to challenge patents outside of court. “Because low quality patents are the favorite weapon of patent trolls, we strongly support the IPR proceeding and would object to efforts to weaken it or make it less accessible to resource-limited parties,” the groups wrote.
If changes must be made, the tech groups wrote, they should focus on lowering the fees to launch a challenge, giving petitioners a chance to reply to patent owners’ claims and letting petitioners appeal PTO’s decisions. Their letter: http://bit.ly/1eqUEJM
