Our Right To Challenge Junk Patents Is Under Threat

Protect your rights online. [This is a friendly message from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.]( [EFF logo]( Action Alert [][Our Right To Challenge Junk Patents Is Under Threat]( Tell the USPTO To Protect the Patent Review Process by Tuesday, June 20 [border surveillance banner with icons for DNA sequence, TSA agent, fingerprint]( The U.S. Patent Office has [proposed new rules]( about who can challenge wrongly granted patents. If the rules become official, they will offer new protections to patent trolls. Challenging patents will become far more onerous, and impossible for some. The new rules could stop organizations like EFF, which used this process to fight the [Personal Audio “podcasting patent,”]( from filing patent challenges altogether. Note: This link goes directly to the USPTO comment page, not EFF's website. [take action]( [TELL USPTO TO WORK FOR THE PUBLIC, NOT PATENT TROLLS]( We’re asking supporters who care about a fair patent system to file comments using the federal government’s public comment system. Your comments don’t need to be long, or use fancy legalese. The important thing is that everyday users and creators of technology get a chance to state their opposition to these rules. We need EFF supporters to speak out against this proposal, which is a gift for patent trolls. The deadline for comments is Tuesday, June 20. The proposed rules affect the inter partes review, or IPR, process. You can read more about EFF’s views on the proposed rules [in our blog post about them](, and can read the proposed rules on [the Federal Register website](. If you have a personal experience with patent troll attacks, please mention it. Comments are not anonymous and you should use your real name. Below this paragraph you can see a simple proposed comment you can cut-and-paste to express your opposition to the rules. It's even better if you add one sentence or more to the comment, especially if you can mention your own experience with the patent system. Of course, you can also write your own original comment. Sample comment: I am opposed to the USPTO’s proposed rules changes for inter partes review (IPR) and other patent challenges. These proposed rules should be withdrawn, and the IPR process should remain open to all. The USPTO should follow the rules Congress set out, and consider all patent challenges, including IPR petitions, on their merits. [take action]( [TELL USPTO TO WORK FOR THE PUBLIC, NOT PATENT TROLLS]( The U.S. patent system remains wildly imbalanced—in favor of patent owners, not patent challengers. These proposed rules show that USPTO has it backwards. Please join us and speak out through the public comment process. No one should tolerate a patent troll takeover at PTAB. Yours, Joe Mullin EFF Activism Team [Donate]( About EFF The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit defending online civil liberties. We promote digital innovation, defend free speech, fight illegal surveillance, and protect rights and freedoms for all as our use of technology grows. Find out more at [](. This newsletter is printed from 100% recycled electrons. EFF appreciates your support and respects your [privacy](. [Unsubscribe or change your email preferences]( or [opt out of all EFF email]( 815 Eddy Street San Francisco, CA 94109-7701 United States