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Read. Follow. Verify.Congressional Hearing: Sovereign Immunity and Intellectual Property
Record date · January 1, 2018
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What This Bill Does
This document is a transcript of a 2017 House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing regarding the intersection of and the intellectual property system. The hearing focused on the practice of entities transferring patent rights to sovereign tribes to shield them from legal challenges.
The hearing examines whether allows patent holders to avoid legal challenges to their patents, which impacts the ability of competitors to contest patent validity in federal courts.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
The tribe is involved in legal agreements where they assert sovereign immunity to protect patent rights.
Patent Holders
Entities that may use sovereign immunity agreements to defend their intellectual property from legal challenges.
Key Facts
- The Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet held a hearing on November 7, 2017, regarding sovereign immunity in the IP system.
- The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe declined an invitation to testify in person but submitted written testimony.
- General Counsel for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Dale White, indicated the tribe's interest in pursuing additional sovereign immunity deals regarding patents.
- The hearing included testimony from four expert witnesses: Karl Manheim, William Jay, Philip Johnson, and Christopher Mohr.
Show all 5 facts
- The hearing was held in the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Frequently Asked Questions
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News Coverage
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Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Tribal Patent Shielding
The hearing highlights a deliberate strategy by some sovereign tribes to enter into agreements to provide immunity for patent holders.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.govinfo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment40Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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