Free for a Fee

The Electronic Frontier Foundation announced a new initiative on Tuesday to seek reform of the United States patent system. Under the banner of Defend Innovation, the civil liberties organization suggested seven ways Congress could make the patent system less harmful to progress in software.

EFF wants Congress to shorten the term of software patents to five years. It proposes the creation of an independent invention defense for firms that discover a patented technology independently of a patent holder. It wants to force losing patent plaintiffs to cover defendants’ legal bills. And it suggests that damages be limited in cases where a patent accounts for only a small fraction of the value of a larger product.

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