U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after the Supreme Court issued a decision in the companion cases Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc. and Stryker Corp. v. Zimmer, Inc., in which the Court unanimously overturned the Federal Circuit's interpretation of a statute that cabined a trial judge's ability to punish bad-faith patent infringers by awarding enhanced damages to wronged patent owners. Senator Coons is the author of the bipartisan STRONG Patents Act of 2015 that would build on this decision by taking a series of focused, targeted steps to bolster the patent system for the benefit of innovative individuals and research-intensive companies from every sector of the economy.
"Last week, the Supreme Court helped to strengthen patents by affirming a patent owner's right to receive enhanced damages when their ideas have been stolen or copied," said Senator Coons. "I applaud this decision, which--like the legislation I proposed in the STRONG Patents Act--helps to strengthen our country's innovation ecosystem by creating incentives that appropriately discourage the misappropriation of patented ideas from small and large businesses alike. This decision is especially important for startups, a crucial source of our nation's economic growth, who may particularly need this extra deterrent to protect their inventions as they continue to invest in their ideas and grow their companies."