Peter Huber makes some contradictory and misleading arguments in "Digital Innovators vs. the Patent Trolls" (op-ed, April 18). He claims that nonpracticing entities, derisively called "patent trolls," are ruining innovation in America. On the one hand, he acknowledges that only a small percentage of patents, roughly 2% by his own estimate, end up court. Yet he also believes that "Our patent laws have drifted way off course."
He states that, "The (Patent) Office now grants more than 4,000 patents a week," but he neglects to mention that the total number of patent applications and the number of patent rejections have both similarly risen. One major goal of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director David Kappos, appointed in 2009 by President Obama, is to reduce the backlog of 1.2 million patents existing at the time he took office. Many more patents are being submitted and examined than ever before—a sign of the vigorous spirit of innovation in America.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Patents Should Protect, Not Discourage Innovation - WSJ.com
