Patent Reform Legislation Would Harm Innovation System, 145 Universities Say

Nearly 150 U.S. universities wrote Congress expressing concern over patent reform legislation. They said a large portion of the legislation goes “well beyond what is needed to address the bad actions of a small number of patent holders, and would instead make it more difficult and expensive for patent holders to defend their rights in good faith.” Mandatory fee-shifting and involuntary joinder are the most concerning because they would “make the legitimate defense of patent rights excessively risky and thus weaken the university technology transfer process,” the letter said. The patent system needs to provide strong protection for inventions to enable universities to license them to private sector enterprises, it said. Congress should take these concerns into consideration when assessing changes to the patent laws, it said. “It is imperative that any legislation avoid sweeping changes that would weaken our overall patent system and hinder the flow of groundbreaking advances from university research to the private sector, which catalyzes economic growth, creates jobs, and improves the lives of all Americans.” The letter was sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; ranking member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.; and ranking member John Conyers, D-Mich. Among the signers were Boston University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.