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The Florida Senate

2019 Florida Statutes

Title XXXIII REGULATION OF TRADE, COMMERCE, INVESTMENTS, AND SOLICITATIONS
Chapter 501 CONSUMER PROTECTION Entire Chapter
SECTION 991
Legislative intent; construction.
F.S. 501.991
501.991 Legislative intent; construction.—
(1) The Legislature recognizes that it is preempted from passing any law that conflicts with federal patent law. However, the Legislature recognizes that the state is dedicated to building an entrepreneurial and business-friendly economy where businesses and consumers alike are protected from abuse and fraud. This includes protection from abusive and bad faith demands and litigation.
(2) Patents encourage research, development, and innovation. Patent holders have a legitimate right to enforce their patents. The Legislature does not wish to interfere with good faith patent litigation or the good faith enforcement of patents. However, the Legislature recognizes a growing issue: the frivolous filing of bad faith patent claims that have led to technical, complex, and especially expensive litigation.
(3) The expense of patent litigation, which may cost millions of dollars, can be a significant burden on companies and small businesses. Not only do bad faith patent infringement claims impose undue burdens on individual businesses, they undermine the state’s effort to attract and nurture technological innovations. Funds spent to help avoid the threat of bad faith litigation are no longer available for serving communities through investing in producing new products, helping businesses expand, or hiring new workers. The Legislature wishes to help businesses avoid these costs by encouraging good faith assertions of patent infringement and the expeditious and efficient resolution of patent claims.
(4) This part may not be construed to:
(a) Limit the rights and remedies available to the state or a person under any other law;
(b) Alter or restrict the Attorney General’s authority under any other law regarding claims of patent infringement; or
(c) Prohibit a person who owns, or has a right to license or enforce, a patent from:
1. Notifying other parties of such person’s ownership of, or rights under, the patent;
2. Offering the patent to other parties for license or sale;
3. Notifying other parties of such parties’ infringement of the patent as provided by 35 U.S.C. s. 287; or
4. Seeking compensation for past or present infringement of, or license to, the patent.
History.—s. 7, ch. 2015-92; s. 1, ch. 2016-101.