The Innovation Act: An important step forward

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and a bipartisan group of cosponsors introduced H.R. 9, the “Innovation Act of 2015.” This action marks an important first step toward enactment of a patent litigation reform measure aimed at curbing patent litigation abuses.  Microsoft is pleased to support the Innovation Act, as we did in the previous Congress; we will continue to work with Chairman Goodlatte and leaders in both the House and Senate to move expeditiously to pass a meaningful patent reform bill.

The provisions of H.R. 9, including fee-shifting, a path to discovery reform, and increased transparency, will provide new tools to deter abuses of the patent litigation system while protecting the value of patents and our innovation economy. IP-intensive industries rely on a well-functioning patent system to maintain 40 million American jobs, and we urge the House and Senate to move forward on reforms to strengthen the engine of our innovation economy.