Innovation Act

Sponsor: ROBERT GOODLATTE (R-VA)

Innovation Act - (Sec. 3) Directs a party alleging infringement in a civil action involving a claim for relief arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents to include in the court pleadings, unless the information is not reasonably accessible, specified details concerning: each claim of each patent allegedly infringed, including each accused process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter (referred to as an "accused instrumentality") alleged to infringe the claim; for each claim of indirect infringement, the acts of the alleged indirect infringer that contribute to, or are inducing, a direct infringement; the principal business, if any, of the party alleging infringement; the authority of the party alleging infringement to assert each patent and the grounds for the court's jurisdiction; each complaint filed that asserts any of the same patents; and whether a standard-setting body has specifically declared such patent to be essential, potentially essential, or having potential to become essential to that body, as well as whether the United States or a foreign government has imposed any specific licensing requirements. Requires courts to award prevailing parties reasonable fees and other expenses incurred in connection with such actions unless: (1) the position and conduct of the nonprevailing party was reasonably justified in law and fact, or (2) special circumstances (such as severe economic hardship to a named inventor) make an award unjust.

Commerce Topic assigned by the Congressional Research Service.