113 S1612 IS: Patent Litigation Integrity Act of 2013
U.S. Senate
2013-10-30
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EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.Short title; table of contents(a)This Act may be cited as the
Patent Litigation Integrity Act of 2013
.(b)The table of contents for this Act is as follows:Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.TITLE I—Mandatory fee shiftingSec. 101. Litigation and other expenses.TITLE II—Discretionary BondingSec. 201. Motion for a bond.<enum>I</enum><header>Mandatory fee shifting</header><section id="id37CA9CCEE4CC4D6EA629DEA9FEEFEE46"><enum>101.</enum><header>Litigation and other expenses</header><subsection id="id0C9C0254CD7540F3A0B2EE1DFBE8F0AA"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/35/285">Section 285</external-xref> of title 35, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id684F9149C1CA4EFAB7EB3C985DB6166E" style="USC"><section id="idD3831FC3427F4394A1FDF4FCA2BEB86E"><enum>285.</enum><header>Fees and other expenses</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The court shall award to a prevailing party reasonable fees and other expenses, including attorney fees, incurred by that party in connection with a civil action in which any party asserts a claim for relief arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents, unless the court finds that the position and conduct of the nonprevailing party or parties were substantially justified or that special circumstances make an award unjust.</text></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection><subsection id="idFF20455FD3D24A79916D2E33768E886C"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Technical and conforming amendment</header><text>The table of sections for <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/35/29">chapter 29</external-xref> of title 35, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating to section 285 and inserting the following:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id24CFF4AED8044B17A4D2EC97065BF7F5" style="OLC"><toc><toc-entry bold="off" level="section">285. Fees and other expenses.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section><enum>II</enum><header>Discretionary Bonding</header><section id="id185D35C74AE0476DBE453337DD6918A9"><enum>201.</enum><header>Motion for a bond</header><subsection id="idC6CD9F30D97940C8A219D54CF3D5BFA8"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/35/29">Chapter 29</external-xref> of title 35, United States Code, is amended by inserting after <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/35/285">section 285</external-xref> the following:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idF05FF93A019E4C7EBCE8177DCD8B89CE" style="USC"><section id="id70DD1A0B52B34D98A21B2B8AA1C2672F"><enum>285A.</enum><header>Motion for a bond</header><subsection id="idE75E6E9D59EE44C28B23A6703C86FAD7"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The court, on motion by the defendant or a respondent in a proceeding, may order the party alleging infringement to post a bond sufficient to ensure payment of the accused infringer’s reasonable fees and other expenses, including attorney fees.</text></subsection><subsection id="id9C43F99527DA4B01815C0A48DB995EF1"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Factors To be considered</header><text>For purposes of this section, in determining whether a bond requirement would be unreasonable or unnecessary, the court shall consider—</text><paragraph id="idb838ae176eb74cb2a45c8af647b0122c"><enum>(1)</enum><text>whether the bond will burden the ability of the party alleging infringement to pursue activities unrelated to the assertion, acquisition, litigation, or licensing of any patent;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idc910a5c32c1f4e7eb51dc0fe768482f4"><enum>(2)</enum><text>whether the party alleging infringement is—</text><subparagraph id="id97D29A83C1FF4752A4CD8DD0FEE78294"><enum>(A)</enum><text>an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/20/1001">20 U.S.C. 1001(a)</external-xref>)); or</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id1202CAFF9B7D4333A304326F33A9712B"><enum>(B)</enum><text>a non-profit technology transfer organization whose primary purpose is to facilitate the commercialization of technologies developed by one or more institutions of higher education;</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="iddf12185f0cd441e697f7c64936d8389f"><enum>(3)</enum><text>whether a licensee, who has an exclusive right under a patent held by an institution of higher education or a non-profit organization described in paragraph (2), conducts further research on or development of the subject matter to make the subject matter more licensable;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idd5acffc7f921483c918fa74a0b184d96"><enum>(4)</enum><text>whether the party alleging infringement is a named inventor of or an original assignee to an asserted patent;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idcc8f9d20c4e64005b8c22f6669a73a7a"><enum>(5)</enum><text>whether the party alleging infringement makes or sells a product related to the subject matter described in an asserted patent;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id19e9c008ea994def845d1641c2c09478"><enum>(6)</enum><text>whether the party alleging infringement can demonstrate that it has and will have the ability to pay the accused infringer’s fees and other expenses if ordered to do so; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id3562cf83b5dc46028c080e569080f1a3"><enum>(7)</enum><text>whether any party will agree to pay the accused infringer’s shifted fees and other expenses, provided that the person or entity can demonstrate that it has and will have the ability to pay the accused infringer’s shifted fees and other expenses.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection><subsection id="id33899FFE9ABF41A7B29DAEC0BDE77147"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Technical and conforming amendment</header><text>The table of sections for <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/35/29">chapter 29</external-xref> of title 35, United States Code, as amended by section 101, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 285 the following:</text><quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idADFC05D582534C01A857CF95FF8B362F" style="OLC"><toc><toc-entry bold="off" level="section">285A. Motion for a bond.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section>