But members of the Coalition for Patent Reform, in a press briefing a couple of hours later, said Congress needs to fix problems with "patent speculators" suing established companies. The Supreme Court rulings and more money for the USPTO aren't enough, said Tim Crean, chief intellectual property officer for SAP.
In the past two years, the Supreme Court has ruled on several patent issues, including a case involving eBay. In May 2006, the court overturned a long-term U.S. court practice of issuing injunctions against infringing products in nearly all patent cases.
Despite the Supreme Court rulings, the number of patent lawsuits continues to grow, said Crean and Michael Holston, general counsel for HP. This year is shaping up to be a record year for patent lawsuits, Holston said.
The coalition found about 625 patent lawsuits in 20 selected U.S. district courts in 1990. Through Sept. 30, the same 20 courts have seen about 1,550 patent lawsuits in 2007, the coalition said.
HP will spend about $75 million defending against patent lawsuits this year, Holston said. More than half of those lawsuits come from patent "speculators" -- companies that buy patents for the purpose of filing lawsuits, he added.
The patent system is "being exploited through litigation games," added Mark Chandler, general counsel for Cisco.
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