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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene gave the following remarks today on the floor of the House of Representatives to voice her support of H.R. 3309, the Innovation Act, legislation to curb abusive patent litigation, support innovators and strengthen the nation’s patent system. The Innovation Act passed the House today by a vote of 329-91.

The full text of DelBene’s speech, as prepared for delivery, is below:

“Thank you Mr. Chairman.

“From the Judiciary Committee’s examination of abusive patent litigation this year, it’s clear that there is a need for legislative action, and this issue has harmed companies large and small, from big tech companies to small retailers, restaurants, and credit unions.  And in recent years, even our public transit agencies have been targeted by these so-called patent trolls. 

“In my home state of Washington, King County Metro was hit with a lawsuit in 2011 from Arrival Star, a company that claimed infringement of a patent that was so broad that it could potentially cover any system that tracks a vehicle. 

“With this lawsuit, King County’s innovative bus-tracking technology and a popular mobile application, called OneBusAway, which relies on Metro’s data, was threatened.

“And even though if there was a strong case to be made for challenging the patent’s validity, fighting a suit like this can be run into the millions of dollars, and at taxpayer expense.

“So King County had to settle with ArrivalStar, costing taxpayers $80,000.

“And King County was not alone - at least 11 transit systems settled with ArrivalStar in response to lawsuits over bus-tracking systems, rather than undertake expensive and time-consuming litigation. 

“And this kind of litigation abuse does a disservice to the U.S. patent system and our innovation economy, and in the case of ArrivalStar, harmed taxpayers in King County and many other agencies across the country. 

“Because of the widespread impact of abusive litigation like this, there is broad support across industry and among public interest groups for measures that reduce the financial incentive for bad actors to bring predatory patent suits — measures such as curbing the excessive cost of litigation and discovery abuse, making patent cases more efficient, and requiring plaintiffs to be precise in their claims of infringement.

“The Innovation Act would do all of these things, and it does so by targeting abusive behaviors rather than singling out any particular type of patent holder or business model.  

“I am pleased to support this bill today, but I also believe we must continue to make improvements to the bill as it moves forward in the legislative process, and I’ll be supporting several amendments on the floor today, and continue to work with my colleagues in both chambers to get legislation passed that strikes the right balance in protecting and strengthening our patent system.  

“Thank you, I yield back my time.”

Video of DelBene’s speech can be viewed HERE.