Doubts about patent bill surface on Senate panel

A handful of Senate Judiciary Committee members on Thursday expressed lingering doubts about legislation to fight so-called patent trolls.

While a proposal unveiled last week won bipartisan support, there is unease in some pockets of both parties about moving aggressively to limit frivolous patent infringement lawsuits.

{mosads}Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who is still in “undecided mode,” said leadership has to assure him that if the Senate reaches a deal, it does not get scrapped when merged with the House version.

“I do think it’s also going to be important that we have a clear understanding, Mr. Chairman, as we go forward, that if we reach an agreement that is very solid in the Senate, that we have some reassurance that we won’t just get rolled in the conference process,” he said, describing the House version as “unacceptable.”

While seven of the 20 members of the committee have sponsored the legislation, a hearing Wednesday helped crystallize the opposition from other lawmakers.

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), ahead of the hearing, announced he was signing onto a pared back patent proposal sponsored by Judiciary members Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who is not a member of the committee, is also a sponsor. 

Coons said the bill from the Judiciary Committee leaders is “less bad” than the House’s version, but said he still would not support it. 

Other members like Whitehouse and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) expressed reservations about patent legislation as well. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (R-Conn.) noted there is “room for improvement.”

Durbin took a familiar role as attack dog, scolding committee leaders for stacking the witness list with “those who love the bill and those who really love the bill.”

“There is another side to the story that has not been given a chance to speak this morning and I hope that during the course of considering this bill we can reflect on it,” he said. 

Critics have pressed Judiciary leaders to hold more hearings on the patent troll issue, but sponsors of the bill say pushing it through quickly would give it the best chance of passage. 

A markup of the bill is expected before lawmakers break for the Memorial Day recess, though nothing has been scheduled. 

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Thursday he is “comfortable with where we are on the language” that was negotiated over the past year.  

Along with Grassley, the bill has support from ranking Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.). Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) helped negotiate the deal. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) have also signed on. 

Despite the deal, Grassley and other supporters expressed on openness to addressing particular concerns from the pharmaceutical industry.

Outside groups like the 21C Coalition have called for changes to the U.S Patent Office’s own review process, which was set up a few years ago to offer a quick alternative to challenging a patent in court. Critics argue the proceedings skew too far against patent holders.