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HOUSE 192117th CongressReferred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Senate should give its advice and consent to the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Last Action
3/8/2021

Actions

  • 2021-02-02Referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.
  • 2021-01-05Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  • 2021-01-05Introduced in House
  • 2021-01-05Introduced in House

CRS Summary

As of 2021-01-05 (00)

Targeting Rogue and Opaque Letters Act of 2021

This bill prohibits sending bad faith patent demand letters.

A patent demand letter is a written communication claiming that the recipient may be liable for patent infringement. Bad faith means making knowingly false or misleading statements, making claims with reckless disregard for the truth, or omitting information with the intent to deceive.

Bad faith representations include false or misleading claims about the sender's right to assert a patent and whether lawsuits have been filed. They also include making written demands for compensation for invalid patents or to demand compensation without identifying the ultimate parent entity of the letter sender.

The sender shall have an affirmative defense that it acted in good faith, by proving that its misstatements or omissions were unintentional and that it made an error in spite of procedures to avoid such errors.

The bill preempts state laws relating to patent assertion communications. The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general may bring actions to enforce these provisions.

Subjects

  • Civil actions and liability
  • Federal preemption
  • Fraud offenses and financial crimes
  • Intellectual property
  • State and local government operations
Read on Congress.gov

Sourced from Congress.gov (public domain).

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.