Washington, D.C. (July 9, 2013) – Today the Application Developers Alliance applauded the growing momentum in Congress behind patent reform legislation that would give patent troll victims a lower cost alternative to challenging a poor quality patent in court. The measure, introduced by Representatives Darrel Issa (R-CA) and Judy Chu (D-CA), reflects legislation introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to expand the Covered Business Method Program, giving companies the ability to challenge the validity of a troll’s patent in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
“The introduction of this legislation in the House signals that there is significant momentum behind this important reform that will help curb patent troll abuse. Patent trolls wielding poor quality patents are a growing challenge for entrepreneurs, particularly startups and independent app developers who do not have the resources, or time, to undertake an expensive legal battle,” said Jon Potter, President of the Application Developers Alliance.
“Expanding the Covered Business Method Program would help weed out the poor quality patents used by trolls by giving startups a way to challenge patent validity that does not require a costly legal battle. We thank Representatives Issa and Chu for introducing this legislation, further demonstrating that Congress is ready to stand with entrepreneurs and fight patent troll abuse,” Potter concluded.
About the Application Developers Alliance
The Application Developers Alliance is an industry association dedicated to meeting the unique needs of application developers as creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Alliance members include more than 20,000 individual application developers and more than 100 companies in the apps ecosystem.
