InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

[loophole73]

Mr. President

Do not be fooled by the rhetoric of Mr. Kantor and Mr. Yeutter. The small inventor literally does not have an adequate remedy at law. The larger infringers have taken advantage of the court system to squeeze out the inventor in America. The cases drag on for years before judges that are ill equipped to handle the subject matter. During this period, the infringer continues to mount profits via sales to fund the litigation. The inventor in the meantime is being drained by the massive legal fees being billed throughout the litigation. The legal proceedings serve as a major distraction along with the dwindling financial condition rendering a severe slow down on the inventive productivity that this country has relied upon since its existence. Lending institutions do not take risks on patent litigation causing the inventor company to seriously dilute ownership of the original investors in the invention company, if they are so able. The lawyers do not handle patent disputes on contingency fee contracts which creates an uneven playing field for the poorer inventors. In many cases the inventors simply run out of funds and they are forced to settle strong positions just to keep their doors open. This does not encourage the role of the inventor in this country. In fact it creates an atmosphere of discouragement because the cost of monetizing an invention is becoming a deterrent. The court system does not provide prejudgment injunctive relief and this is why your office should back the actions of the ITC. The ITC can prevent the economic squeeze that the infringers are executing on the lesser financially solvent inventors. The exponential growth of the worldwide, global economy makes the functions of the ITC more and more imortant every year. It is imperative that the Office of the President ratify the actions of the ITC or the institution will be rendered useless in the time it is now most needed. The actions of the ITC should be applauded in this country, not criticized and degraded. The ITC is critical for the progressive future of American business.

MO
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