Issa and Schiff Introduce Legislation to Improve Patent Litigation in the District Courts

Issa and Schiff Introduce Legislation to Improve Patent Litigation in the District Courts

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), today, announced the introduction of H.R. 5418, a bill to create a pilot program to enhance the expertise of district court judges hearing patent cases. The bill will establish a pilot project in at least five district courts where judges will have the choice of opting-in to the new program to hear patent cases. Each of the test courts will be assigned a clerk with expertise in patent law or with the technical issues arising in patent cases. The bill will also allocate funding to provide educational opportunities for judges who opt-in to the program.

"Roughly forty percent of all patent cases in federal district courts are reversed and ultimately decided by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals," said Rep. Issa. "This legislation is designed to help courts reduce errors that lead to appeals."

"Patent litigation in the federal court system has become expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain," Schiff said. "By providing our courts with the resources they need to carefully consider patent cases, we will ease the work load for our Federal Appeals Courts, which will ultimately save the American taxpayer money."

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http://schiff.house.gov/HoR/CA29/Newsroom/Press+Releases/2006/Issa+and+Schiff+Introduce+Legislation+to+Improve+patent+Litigation+in+the+District+Courts.htm