A September 3, 2015 Wall Street Journal article touches upon patent issues relevant for printers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that will be addressed in a Graph Expo seminar.

What does this mean for printers and OEMs? Here is the background.

There are 27 states that have passed recent laws to stem the rise of infringement claims of questionable merit and most set standards for courts to follow in determining whether patent holders are acting in good faith when they demand licensing fees from a business or launch litigation against it. This has major significance to printers and OEMs, the growing target of patent trolls.

The laws also make it easier for printers and OEMs to pursue actions against false claims made by patent trolls, which buy the rights to dormant patents and use them to sue or demand hefty fees from companies rather than producing any product or service that help support or improve the printing industry and its clients.

The new state laws can give printers and OEMs the ability to countersue if they believe they have been the subject of a knowingly false or exaggerated patent-infringement claim.

One common dilemma in patent litigation is that plaintiffs with dubious claims are demanding licensing fees from printers or OEMs, hoping that these firms will pay up rather than get embroiled in a costly legal dispute. Some companies have given in to this but they do not have to!

In December 2013 the House of Representatives passed the Innovation Act, which would make it easier for a defendant, e.g., printers and OEMs, to win legal fees from a patent troll after defeating it in court.

The new state laws also allow printers and OEMs that are the subject of a bad-faith claim to bring a civil suit against the patent holder. This is the topic of a new graph expo seminar led by Cal Poly Professor Emeritus, Dr. Harvey R. Levenson.

PATENT PROTECTION FOR GRAPHIC ART TECHNOLOGY USERS AND OEM'S: Patent Trolls BEWARE!

See: http://graph15.mapyourshow.com/6_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=1017

Printers and OEMs, learn how to counter and win when confronted with patent troll demands on the technology that you use or have developed. You will hear from four printing industry experts on this matter. WHEN: Monday, 9/15, TIME: 8:30 AM – 10 AM, PLACE: McCormick Place, Rm. S405b.