Obama Plan To Squelch 'Patent Trolls' May Come Up Short

The Obama Administration introduced a package of legislative and executive proposals that aim to protect innovators from frivolous lawsuits and 'patent trolls', or nonpracticing entities (NPEs). Patent attorneys surveyed by Law360 praised the president's attention to the issue, but also had a number of issues with the proposal, including ineffectiveness and potential unintended consequences. Intellectual Property Practice Group Leader David Donoghue weighed in on the proposal noting that it could be valuable for businesses and defendants, but that it likely wouldn't limit the number of lawsuits.

"Forcing NPEs to disclose the real party in interest will not necessarily reduce patent suits or tilt the playing field back to even for targeted companies,” Mr. Donoghue said.

READ: Obama Plan To Squelch 'Patent Trolls' May Come Up Short (subscription may be required)