Put the brakes on ‘patent trolling’

To the editor:

Targeting American businesses with meritless lawsuits has become big business. Sen. Chuck Grassley deserves our thanks for his leadership addressing this growing problem by introducing the bipartisan PATENT Act in the U.S. Senate.

Nonpracticing entities, or patent trolls as they are popularly known, are companies that neither produce a good nor provide a service. Their only business is making broad claims of patent infringement often with questionable validly. They are able to coerce settlement money from unsuspecting businesses who want to avoid facing the unknown financial commitment that would be required to defeat the trolls. Challenging the patent trolls can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.

The PATENT Act will go a long way in deterring patent trolls. This legislation is a great example of how things can and should be accomplished in Washington. Patent trolls are targeting more and more main street businesses, including many in Iowa. The PATENT Act will put the brakes on this abusive behavior and cannot be signed into law fast enough.

Derek Richards

West Des Moines