The Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) criticized Congress for endorsing a bill limiting patent owners' capabilities to assert multiple patents within the same "Patent Group" during infringement actions. Patent thicketing, deemed a misnomer by pro-patent advocates, is viewed as harmful by some, particularly in pharmaceutical sectors. C4IP contends that a multitude of patents is often essential for representing complete innovations, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicates no correlation between patent counts and generic drug market entry timing. The proposed ETHIC Act would restrict more than one patent assertion within a Patent Group against any entity.
"Prohibiting the enforcement of validly issued U.S. patents destabilizes the entire innovation ecosystem." - C4IP Executive Director Frank Cullen.
The Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) today issued a statement taking Congress to task for supporting a bill introduced in July that would limit the ability of patent owners to assert more than one patent from the same "Patent Group" in a patent infringement action.
C4IP called the narrative that patent thickets are a way for pharmaceutical companies to extend the life of a patented drug to the detriment of generic entry "misleading."
The ETHIC Act would prohibit anyone from asserting more than one patent in the same Patent Group against a particular party.
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