Without debate, the Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill that would authorize the Texas attorney general to sue entities sending letters in bad faith alleging that people infringed on their patents.

Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jackson, told senators that his bill would provide relief to victims by allowing the AG to sue patent trolls and obtain injunctions, penalties and more. Senate Bill 1457 only applies to demand letters that make bad-faith claims and are sent to the end user of a product, service or technology.

The federal government and federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over patent law, which limits the actions that state lawmakers can take.