The Main Street Patent Coalition has formed as a group of trade associations representing main street-type businesses has come together to give voice the epidemic of patent trolls targeting retailers and other Main Street businesses and to push Congress for necessary reforms. The Coalition includes key retail trade associations including:
- American Association of Advertising Agencies
- American Hotel and Lodging Association
- Application Developers Alliance (I work with the ADA)
- Food Marketing Institute (I work with FMI)
- National Council of Chain Restaurants
- National Grocers Association
- National Retail Federation (I work with the NRF)
- National Restaurant Association
- Retail Industry Leaders Association
The Main Street Patent Coalition is using its megaphone to focus Congress on the following issues (in the Coalition’s own words) that need to be addressed by Congress, each of which will benefit retailers:
- TRANSPARENCY: Eliminate trolls’ ability to hide behind multiple shell corporations
- PATENT QUALITY: Disarm trolls by improving patent quality and providing a way to fight bad patents
- DEMAND LETTERS: Make it easier to punish trolls that send fraudulent and abusive shakedown demand letters
- STOP TROLLS: Protect end users from troll lawsuits based on infringements by intermediary manufacturers and producers
- TROLLS PAY: Make trolls pay when they sue companies frivolously and stop runaway litigation costs