"It is obvious that the astronomical cost of litigation is disastrous for many small U.S. businesses, and it requires settlement by the accused infringer. The frequent litigation surround the “patent thicket” can chill economic investment (e.g., venture capital and other R&D spending) and destroy a start-up‟s attempt to enter the market and create jobs. We invite your attention to the patent litigation statistics published by many sources, including the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. However we wish to emphasize that such published statistics only tell a part of the whole story. In reality the abusive legal action taken against small IT companies is often unreported. The high cost, uncertainty, stress and time associated with litigation essentially demands that small businesses settle before any formal court action commences. Thus, we caution that many of the published statistics only tell part of the story. Likewise, it is uncontested that at least several thousand new patent suits are filed every year. Accordingly the delay of the “Patent Reform Act” results in the continued filing of hundreds of these suits against small ICT businesses and start-ups each month under the current flawed legal framework."
MediaFire: CompTIA: Patent Reform in the 111th Congress: Legislation and Recent Court Decisions
Summary:
It is obvious that the astronomical cost of litigation is disastrous for many small U.S. businesses, and it requires settlement by the accused infringer. The frequent litigation surround the “patent thicket” can chill economic investment (e.g., venture capital and other R&D spending) and destroy a start-up‟s attempt to enter the market and create jobs. We invite your attention to the patent litigation statistics published by many sources, including the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. However we wish to emphasize that such published statistics only tell a part of the whole story. In reality the abusive legal action taken against small IT companies is often unreported. The high cost, uncertainty, stress and time associated with litigation essentially demands that small businesses settle before any formal court action commences. Thus, we caution that many of the published statistics only tell part of the story. Likewise, it is uncontested that at least several thousand
