WASHINGTON – On February 18, 2025, Howard Lutnick was confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as Secretary of the United States Department of Commerce. Below is a statement from Sarah Beth Jansen, Executive Director of ITC Modernization Alliance (IMA):
“Congratulations to Secretary Lutnick on his confirmation as the 41st Secretary of Commerce. We look forward to working with the Commerce Department, including the US Patent and Trademark Office, which plays a critical role in promoting American innovators. We applaud the Secretary's recent statements during his confirmation hearing, focusing on enhancing American competitiveness and the abuse of the U.S. patent system by bad-faith foreign actors. We would encourage him to examine this problem as it relates to the International Trade Commission, a venue whose mission it is to promote American competitiveness and guard against unfair trade practices. The IMA looks forward to working with Secretary Lutnick and the Commerce Department to advance these and other policies to promote innovation and support U.S. global competitiveness.”
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The ITC Modernization Alliance (IMA) is a coalition of leaders in the technology, telecom, and automotive industries dedicated to modernizing the International Trade Commission (ITC) and promoting trade practices that safeguard American industry, workforce, and consumers. As some of the world’s largest patent holders, and with experience as parties to ITC proceedings, IMA members strongly believe in the core purpose of the ITC and appreciate the opportunity to provide input through the public interest inquiry process.
Patent trolls are at it again. This time, a company called Freedom Patents has launched a fresh wave of litigation complaints targeting technology companies including T-Mobile, Samsung and Cisco.
This is the second campaign by Freedom Patents against wireless antenna technology. The grounds for its case rest on three outdated Mitsubishi patents, and the company is attempting to extract a large settlement from mobile communication companies that would rather avoid a lengthy and expensive court process.
Former Montana Senator Max Baucus and former House Judiciary Chair Bob Goodlatte say the ITC and Congress need to act to mitigate shell companies’ manipulation of domestic business through patent lawsuits.
China has consistently invested in the foundation of its innovation economy and is reaping the benefits. Now, the United States must do the same, or risk being left behind. Nowhere is the U.S. failure to support our own innovative industries more obvious than in the intellectual property abuses that are festering at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), as unfair trade practices investigations have repeatedly set back American innovation and economic productivity.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced growing concern over foreign entities funding litigation in U.S. courts. Yet, despite this ominous warning, there are no requirements that parties disclose foreign ownership or outside sources of investment in their litigation when they appear in court. That means foreign adversaries are able to spend whatever it takes to deplete the resources of productive U.S. businesses over the years it takes to resolve the lawsuit.
Implementing disclosure requirements is imperative to safeguarding America’s competitive edge and national security from the activities of lawsuit financiers. We can no longer allow American businesses to be targeted by patent trolls operating in the shadows.
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