In a press conference held today, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) introduced an updated version of the SHIELD (Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes) Act. The aim of this legislation is to decrease the amount of frivolous NPE patent litigation by increasing financial burdens on NPEs. More on this legislation from the folks over at Patent Progress, who are also sponsoring a panel on NPEs here in Washington, DC tomorrow.
- UPDATE: Via ArsTechnica’s article comes a PDF copy of the updated SHIELD Act. /UPDATE
- Meanwhile, in the Eastern District of Texas, noted NPE VirnetX scored a big win against Apple. As part of a lengthy ruling on post-trial motions, Judge Leonard Davis upheld a jury’s prior $368 million damages award to VirnetX — an award based on infringement of VirnetX patents by Apple’s Facetime software. More from Bloomberg.
- Ever wondered how long the Federal Circuit will take to decide your case? Dennis Crouch at Patently-O takes a look for you.
