Washington, D.C. – February 12, 2015 – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) welcomes today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing dedicated to examining recent Supreme Court cases in the area of patent reform. The hearing demonstrates growing momentum to reform our patent system and stop predatory “patent trolls,” who hold patents simply for the purposes of extorting money from companies. Each year, these patent trolls cost the U.S. economy $80 billion in lost revenue and productivity, when instead those dollars could be directed towards creating jobs and investment in communities.

“We are very pleased to see the House Judiciary Committee focus on reining in patent trolls. This hearing is an important part of the process and is proof of Chairman Goodlatte’s continued leadership on this issue,” said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of the AH&LA. “The Supreme Court and other federal courts have indeed made several decisions recently impacting the patent troll debate. Some have been helpful in limiting patent trolls’ damage to our economy, though not all. The positive decisions are only a partial solution, at best, and a full solution can only be accomplished by Congress. We hope that the hearing will illuminate why a legislative remedy is so urgently needed, and we look forward to working with the Committee to accomplish that goal.”

Just last week, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) introduced the Innovation Act, a reform bill applauded by the hotel industry. AH&LA is a leading, founding partner of United For Patent Reform, a coalition of industries from many sectors of the economy who are united in the effort to stop predatory behavior in the patent arena.