Washington, D.C. – As the House and Senate Judiciary Committees move forward with the introduction of legislation to amend the nation’s patent laws, a group of 40 companies from a broad spectrum of industry sectors have formed the Coalition for 21st Century Patent Reform to advocate for changes in U.S. patent law in order to protect American innovation and enhance global competitiveness.

The companies launched an informational website – www.patentsmatter.com – to outline their views on patent reform and explain the issue to their more than 2.5 million employees in states across the country.

“The Coalition’s foremost interest is fostering innovation through patent quality and patent litigation reforms,” said Gary Griswold, President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, 3M Innovative Properties Company. “In today’s global economy, the American patent system is widely recognized as the standard bearer for promoting creativity, research and innovation. Still, there are meaningful reforms that can be implemented to ensure American companies continue to fund researchers in labs, make investments in emerging technologies, and focus on bringing patented products to the marketplace.”

The Coalition is coordinated by 3M, Caterpillar, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson. Members of the Coalition include leaders in the following industry sectors: manufacturing, information technology, consumer products, energy, financial services, medical device, pharmaceutical, and bio-technology. The Coalition has retained the Law Firm of Akin, Gump to assist with its efforts on Capitol Hill.

“The companies in our coalition invest literally billions of dollars in research and development in nearly every industry sector, leading to new products, services and technologies and ensuring that America maintains its leadership in ingenuity and global competitiveness," said Todd Dickinson, Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, General Electric Company. "The patent system is critical to the protection and nurturing of that investment. Balanced reform is needed, however, and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on the patent system represents a thoughtful and evenhanded roadmap for reform."

The National Academy of Sciences report, “A Patent System for the 21st Century,” was published in April 2004 after a four-year, comprehensive study conducted by a number of leading experts on intellectual property rights. The NAS study is widely recognized as the most objective report on the current state of the U.S. patent system. Broadly, the NAS made a number of recommendations to strengthen the patent system:

1. Preserve an open-ended, unitary, flexible patent system;
2. Institute an Open Review procedure;
3. Strengthen USPTO capabilities;
4. Modify or remove the subjective elements of litigation; and
5. Harmonize the U.S. patent system with those of our major trading partners

“Coalition members look forward to working with the Congress,” said Dan Spiegel, partner at Akin, Gump. “We are supporting a consensus position on patent legislation that builds upon the NAS patent report. Our companies are eager to meet with legislators from across the country and discuss the nation’s patent system.”