Last year Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell became the first lawmaker to sue a so-called patent troll for threatening businesses with allegedly bogus patent infringement claims. In an interview on Friday, Sorrell said he welcomed news that his state’s chosen target, MPHJ Technology Investments, has made a deal with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to cease precisely those activities. But he said the FTC’s settlement could have been tougher.
“The agreement helps us,” said Sorrell, who sued MPHJ on behalf of the state of Vermont in May 2013, alleging that the company violated the Vermont Consumer Protection Act by sending deceptive letters to Vermont businesses claiming they infringed MPHJ’s scan-to-email patent. “The company has claimed over and over again that they have a constitutional right to do what they’ve been doing, but now they’re saying they won’t do it anymore.”
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]