The global developer advocacy teams with thirty-seven organizations from across society to highlight the harms of removing Section 101 protections.
Washington D.C., June 9th, 2021 – The Developers Alliance has joined a coalition letter to President Biden expressing opposition to legislation or regulatory action that would overturn established Supreme Court precedent and expand patent-eligible subject matter to encompass abstract ideas, laws of nature, or natural phenomena, including recent attempts to patent the genetic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is responsible for COVID-19.
In the letter, the organizations note that the current state of subject matter eligibility strikes the proper balance between allowing innovators to protect their investments and encouraging healthy competition that benefits consumers. The letter states.
“We oppose any expansion of patent eligibility that would eliminate the limitations necessary to achieve affordable and quality health care, technological innovation, and climate change solutions. Any revision of the Patent Act should maintain free access to abstract ideas, laws of nature, and the products of nature.”
The coalition is made of thirty-seven organizations from across civil rights, medicine, science, technology, patient advocacy, and more.
“Harming necessary protections in Section 101 is not only bad for software developers but is bad for cultivating a competitive technology ecosystem,” stated Sarah Richard, Policy Counsel & Head of US Policy. “Section 101 protects developers by stopping patent trolls in their tracks, thus it is critical that legislators do not broaden the law to allow low-quality patents to move forward. Patent litigation is a costly process and many developers are small businesses that cannot afford the burdens associated with defending themselves against predatory NPEs.“
