Coalition for Patent Fairness
Encyclopedia
The Coalition for Patent Fairness (CPF) is an ad hoc
organization of companies who are lobbying
for reforms to the US patent system. In general they believe that the United States Patent and Trademark Office is too prone to grant overly broad patent
s. They feel that these overly broad patents and the level of damages that legitimate patent holders can obtain through courts is so high that it inhibits innovation. They were strongly in favor of the Patent Reform Act of 2007
and its successors the Patent Reform Act of 2009
and the America Invents Act
.
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
organization of companies who are lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
for reforms to the US patent system. In general they believe that the United States Patent and Trademark Office is too prone to grant overly broad patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s. They feel that these overly broad patents and the level of damages that legitimate patent holders can obtain through courts is so high that it inhibits innovation. They were strongly in favor of the Patent Reform Act of 2007
Patent Reform Act of 2007
The Patent Reform Act of 2007 is a proposal introduced in the 110th United States Congress for changes in United States patent law. Democratic Congressman Howard Berman introduced the House of Representatives bill on April 18, 2007. Democratic Party Senator Patrick Leahy introduced the Senate bill...
and its successors the Patent Reform Act of 2009
Patent Reform Act of 2009
The Patent Reform Act of 2009 was a set of proposals introduced in the 111th United States Congress for changes in United States patent law. Senators Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy introduced a Senate bill on March 3, 2009. Representative John Conyers introduced the House version, H.R. 1260, the...
and the America Invents Act
America Invents Act
The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act is a United States federal statute that was passed by Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on September 16, 2011. The law represents the most significant change to the U.S...
.
Principles
The CPF believes that the following principles should drive patent reform:- "Damage awards should be based on common sense standards. In a world where a device can be made up of thousands of patented components, patent infringementPatent infringementPatent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may vary by jurisdiction, but it typically includes using or...
damages should be proportionate to the value of the component in question rather than the entire product." - "The standard for assessing "willful infringement" - which triggers a tripling of ordinary damages - must ensure "willful" damages are only assessed where there is truly egregious conduct and all parties' right to counsel is protected."
- "To encourage companies to keep their R&D programs in the U.S., patent laws governing how global damages are awarded should be revised so that foreign companies are not advantaged over U.S.-based companies."
- "The practice of "forum shoppingForum shoppingForum shopping is the informal name given to the practice adopted by some litigants to get their legal case heard in the court thought most likely to provide a favorable judgment...
" should end, ensuring patent lawsuits are resolved in courts that have a reasonable connection to the underlying claim."
Membership
The membership of the Coalition for Patent Fairness includes- Amazon.comAmazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
- Apple Inc.
- AutodeskAutodeskAutodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software for use in the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries. The company was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of the first versions of the company's...
- Business Software AllianceBusiness Software AllianceThe Business Software Alliance is a trade group established in 1988 and representing a number of the world's largest software makers and is a member of the International Intellectual Property Alliance...
- Cisco SystemsCisco SystemsCisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
- ComcastComcastComcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
- DellDellDell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
- ElectroluxElectroluxThe Electrolux Group is a Swedish appliance maker.As of 2010 the 2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world after Whirlpool, its products sell under a variety of brand names including its own and are primarily major appliances and vacuum cleaners...
- Financial Services Roundtable
- GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
- Hewlett-PackardHewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
- Information Technology Industry CouncilInformation Technology Industry CouncilThe Information Technology Industry Council is a Washington D.C. based trade association that represents companies from the information and communications technology industry. As an advocacy organization, ITI works to influence policy issues aimed at encouraging innovation and promoting global...
- Intel
- Micron TechnologyMicron TechnologyMicron Technology, Inc. is an American multinational corporation based in Boise, Idaho, USA, best known for producing many forms of semiconductor devices. This includes DRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, SSD and CMOS image sensing chips. Consumers may be more familiar with its consumer brand Crucial...
- MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
- PalmPalm, Inc.Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
- SAP AGSAP AGSAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
- SymantecSymantecSymantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
- TechNetTechNetTechNet may refer to:* Technet , a fictional group in the Marvel Comics universe* TechNet , Singapore's first Internet access provider* TechNet , an American political lobbying organization...
- Time WarnerTime WarnerTime Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
- Visa