Today, Governor Jay Inslee signed Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s proposal to protect small businesses from predatory and bad-faith patent infringement claims into law.

Patent trolls obtain and misuse patents as a way to make money by asserting patent rights and collecting infringement fees from other businesses. Their aggressive and deceptive tactics have become a growing concern for the Attorney General’s Office.

“Patent trolls are in business to take money from legitimate enterprises. Their tactics hurt the economy and stifle innovation,” said Ferguson. “The Patent Troll Prevention Act will protect small businesses and provide my office with enforcement authority to hold these fraudulent trolls accountable.”