The FTC should “examine the practices of patent assertion...
The FTC should “examine the practices of patent assertion entities (PAEs) that wrongfully target end users” and use its authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act if it uncovers unfair and deceptive practices, 18 House lawmakers told FTC Chairwoman…
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Edith Ramirez in a Friday letter (http://1.usa.gov/15TuUMQ). The letter -- sent by Reps. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, and Judy Chu, D-Calif., and signed by members including Reps. Zoe Lofrgen, D-Calif., Jared Polis, D-Colo., Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah -- cited examples of PAEs targeting “end users who are the downstream users of technology,” including “individual consumers, non-profits, local governments, and small to large businesses.” In a statement (http://1.usa.gov/18cfgAs), Chu urged the FTC to get involved, saying the agency “has a role to play in ensuring every American consumer is protected from those who use wrongful business practices to make a quick buck.” An update to the patent system is needed “to protect end users from these abusive and costly lawsuits, [or else] patent trolls will continue to stifle American innovation and job creation,” Farenthold said in a statement. The FTC could not confirm that it had received the letter.