Obama calls for patent reform in State of the Union speech

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Obama calls for patent reform in State of the Union speech

US President Barack Obama called for Congress to pass a patent reform bill during his State of the Union address

barack20obama.jpg

"Let’s pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless litigation,” said Obama.

The House of Representatives in December passed the Innovation Act, introduced by Bob Goodlatte, by a vote of 325-91.

The Senate is considering its own legislation to tackle so-called patent trolls.

Goodlatte responded to Obama’s speech by saying he was encouraged by the president’s continued willingness to work with Congress to stop abusive patent litigation.

Businesses both large and small are affected by this growing problem and the enactment of the Innovation Act is central to US competiveness, job creation, and our nation’s future economic security. I look forward to working with President Obama and the Senate to see that patent litigation reform legislation is signed into law,” Goodlatte said.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Hefty legal teams assembled for a three-day hearing in what was the court’s first foray into SEPs since Unwired Planet v Huawei
IP firm's new base will be located inside the tallest office space in the UK's ‘second city’
Practitioners at four firms across Asia and Europe share the do’s and don’ts of mindful networking ahead of the INTA Annual Meeting
Brand Action explains why the IP community can be a force for good in the world as thousands of professionals prepare to head to London for INTA’s Annual Meeting
The firm, which has also hired a senior trademark leader to lead operations in the region, believes greater China to be one of the most important IP jurisdictions
Attorneys at Gibson Dunn share why plaintiffs’ growing reliance on DMCA anti-circumvention claims in AI scraping cases exposes a critical vulnerability
Tom Carver, who spent the last 18 months sailing the Mediterranean, tells Managing IP why he’s ready to return to land
US law firms highlight litigation profitability and client demand as driving forces behind a boom in lateral hires in the life sciences sector
The move marks the latest step in Temu’s push to protect brands’ intellectual property by collaborating with industry groups and enforcement agencies. Managing IP learns about a rapidly scaling strategy and two success stories
A counterfeiting crackdown targeting fake FIFA World Cup merchandise and new partner hires by CMS, HGF and Winston Strawn were also among the top talking points
Gift this article