WASHINGTON, DC - The House Energy and Commerce Committee today voted to approve H.R. 2045, the Targeting Rogue and Opaque Letters (TROL) Act, by a vote of 30 to 22. Authored by Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), the TROL Act is a balanced and targeted solution to help stop the practice of abusive patent demand letters while protecting the rights of legitimate patent holders to protect their intellectual property.
The TROL Act increases transparency and accountability in patent demand letters so businesses can weed out deceptive letters. The Act also establishes a national standard for the enforcement of abusive patent demand letters and allows the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to levy fines on bad actors.
“This legislation takes on a costly scam that, by many accounts, continues to worsen," said Burgess. “The very real problem of abusive patent demand letters compels us to find a solution expressly designed to enable enforcement that’s free of constitutional setbacks."
“This bill seeks to protect the ability of small businesses in Michigan and across the country to innovate. When a troll sends abusive letters, we provide tools to identify those letters and provide better enforcement," added full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI).
