NRF supports patent provision

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation announced that it has sent a letter supporting Section 18 of H.R. 1249, the America Invents Actfrom NRF SVP government relations David French to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, Ranking Member John Conyers, D-Mich., and other members of the committee.

In the letter, French expressed support for Section 18 of the American Invents Act of 2010 because it wouldprovide the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) the ability to re-examine qualified business method patents against the best prior art.

“Increasingly, retailers of all types are being sued by non-practicing entities for infringing low-quality business method patents which touch all aspects of our business: marketing, payments, and customer service to name a few aspects. A vast majority of these cases are brought in the Eastern District of Texas where the statistics are heavily weighted against defendants forcing our members to settle even the most meritless suits," wrote French.

According to French, Section 18 would help create a more unified patent system.