WASHINGTON – The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade passed the Targeting Rogue and Opaque Letters Act (TROL Act) yesterday, by a bipartisan vote of 13–6. The TROL Act addresses fraudulent patent demand letters that many small businesses, including convenience stores, are consistently under attack from abusive patent “trolls.” 

NACS has been working with a group of retailers as a member of the Main Street Patent Coalition and continues to work with stakeholders to strengthen the legislation to ensure the Federal Trade Commission has the necessary tools to protect merchants and small businesses from this abusive practice. The Main Street Patent Coalition sent a letter to Members of Congress on the Subcommittee outlining these improvements.

For more information on the problem of patent trolls, please see “Taking on the Trolls” in the December 2013 issue of NACS Magazine or contact Paige Anderson, NACS director of government relations at panderson@nacsonline.com.