Fighting ‘Patent Trolls’

[Commentary] Abusive patent litigation is a festering problem that costs the American economy billions of dollars. This week President Obama proposed promising reforms to rein in lawsuits filed by businesses that buy patents with the intent of suing individuals and businesses for using or selling products that they claim violate their patents. Democrats like Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Republicans like Representative Bob Goodlatte of Virginia have offered support for the president’s proposal and said they intend to work with him. It’s good to see that encouraging innovation, not litigation, is a bipartisan goal.