FTC Chairwoman Speaks On Growing US Patent Problem

ectoman writes "In a recent policy speech, Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez indicated that the FTC might be preparing to seriously address patent abuse in the United States. Mark Bohannon, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Global Public Policy at Red Hat, has reviewed Ramirez's remarks, calling them 'some of the most direct and specific to date from a senior U.S. Government official regarding "harmful PAE [patent assertion entities] activities."' Bohannon writes that the FTC's proposed roadmap for patent reform 'is both ambitious and doable,' and he discusses how the agency could make its potential contributions to reforms most effective. The piece arrives one week after Bohannon analyzed other patent reform efforts currently ongoing in Washington—in a piece Slashdot readers have been discussing."

Comments

Good Start

[amiga3D]

Getting rid of software patents would go a long way towards correcting the problem. That's where the biggest abuse is.

Re:Focus should be on the granting of patents

[ackthpt]

From TFA:

IV. PAE Harm is a Symptom of a Larger Problem

But Commission activity should be just one piece of a broader response. Flaws in the patent system are likely fueling much of the real costs associated with PAE activities. PAEs are good at monetizing patents. But effective monetization of low quality patents imposes a de facto tax on productive economic activity with little or no offsetting benefit for consumers

Expecting that parliament of whores, the US House, to pass anything meaningful while they wring their hands over how it might reduce their campaign warchests by $1 million, or less, is like believing the Tooth Faerie exists.