Washington, DC (February 27, 2014) – Today the App Developers Alliance praised legislation introduced by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to curb abusive patent troll demand letters. The measure aims to help startups and small businesses facing patent troll threats by requiring more information and transparency in the demand letters they receive.
“Alliance members are tired of patent demand form letters from smash-and-grab trolls. These opportunistic trolls are looking for quick settlements that companies agree to because it is cheaper than hiring lawyers to fight back,” said Alliance President Jon Potter. “We are pleased that Senators McCaskill and Rockefeller agree with Senators Leahy and Lee and 42 attorneys general that patent owners should follow a few basic rules when asserting their patents—and that these requirements should begin before litigation begins. Patent trolls are bullies, and vague demand letters that threaten litigation are a favorite troll weapon that Congress needs to eliminate.”
Demand letter transparency has broad bipartisan support. On Monday, 42 state attorneys general wrote to Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committee leadership urging them to pass patent reform that stops abusive demand letter practices.
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 30,000 individual application developers and more than 170 companies in the apps ecosystem.
