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posted by NCommander on Monday June 02 2014, @12:15AM   Printer-friendly
from the not-this-crap-again dept.

Ars Technica How the patent trolls won in Congress

Trial lawyers are heavy donors to Democratic politicians, including Reid. A Washington Post article on Reid's fundraising during his 2010 campaign noted big-money fundraisers taking place at a Florida trial lawyer's home, as well as one held in California by the top securities class-action law firm, now named Robins Geller Rudman & Dowd.

They weren't the only ones lobbying against this bill, which was a first-of-its-kind proposal aimed squarely at "patent trolls." Universities and invention promotion groups like Edison Nation were vocal throughout the process, and Leahy noted the university opposition in his statement killing the bill. Companies that rely on heavy patent licensing as part of their business, including Qualcomm and Dolby, lobbied through the Innovation Alliance.

While those groups may celebrate the end of this bill, they weren't able to orchestrate the political shutdown that occurred Wednesday. "They were active throughout the entire process, but they don't have that kind of money, power, and juice," said the tech sector lobbyist. "This was entirely done by the pharmaceutical industry and the trial lawyers."

 
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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Monday June 02 2014, @07:22AM

    by anubi (2828) on Monday June 02 2014, @07:22AM (#50112) Journal
    The way things are going, going to University to learn Engineering would be like going to University to learn organic meth synthesis...

    While the latter is illegal, the former is teaching people how stuff works... threatening copyright and patent.

    Remember when it was the Religions which wanted to restrict the ability of the people to read the Word of God ( Insert Name of Holy Book here ) for themselves... and make what they would out of it? They, too, did not want their precious cargo out of the bag... Geez, what happens if people read that stuff and discover they no longer require the priest to cement their relationship to their maker ( or, worse yet, discover the priest was just blowing wind, and the Holy Book was just a contrived tool of the elite used to subjugate the masses... )?

    Each of us has to prove all things to himself, and hold fast that which is good.
    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
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