WASHINGTON – The US House today passed legislation to reform the patent system, aiming to stop broadly written patents and so-called “trolls” who submit applications in the hopes of later capitalizing on hefty licensing fees.

H.R. 3309, also known as the Innovation Act, was cosponsored by Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Howard Coble (R-NC), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Lamar Smith (R-TX), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Tom Marino (R-PA), Blake Farenthold (R-TX), and George Holding (R-NC).

It passed the House by a 325 to 91 vote.

The Consumer Electronics Association supported the vote and urges quick passage in the Senate.

“Patent trolling is garden-variety extortion by another name, and we are one step closer to shutting it down,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the CEA. “The Innovation Act will greatly reduce the epidemic of patent lawsuit abuse afflicting the US economy and provide particular relief for small businesses, the primary victims of patent trolls, who lack the resources to fight back in court.”

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