Microsoft: Smartphone wars prove patent system works

The number of lawsuits over smartphone patents proves that the US patent system is working, Microsoft Deputy General Counsel Horacio Gutierrez said.

Speaking at George Washington University Law School, Gutierrez called the recent smartphone wars “a sign of health” of the US patent system because it means companies are using the system to protect their intellectual property. Over the last few months, attention has shifted away from the smartphone wars and toward patent trolls, or firms that bring frivolous lawsuits over overly-broad patents to extract settlements, Gutierrez said. Patent trolls have “really become the theme of the conversation.” House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) introduced a bill aimed at decreasing frivolous and invalid patent infringement lawsuits. Microsoft has not commented on Goodlatte’s bill, but the company is a member BSA – The Software Alliance, which expressed concerns that the bill would weaken intellectual property rights. “There are opportunities to deal directly with that bad conduct and bad behavior,” Gutierrez said, advocating for more funding for the US Patent and Trade Office.