adminTuesday morning HB 1181 by Rep. Jamie Grant (R-Tampa) was heard in the House Civil Justice subcommittee. The bill would amend the Patent Troll Protection Act which was a league priority that passed last year. The new legislation is an effort to address concerns of some of the business community and the Florida Bar. It passed out of the committee.
As originally filed, there were some very serious issues with the legislation. It removed the private cause of action language that the League fought hard to include last year, as well as some other issues. After several weeks of discussions with the stakeholders and the sponsor of the legislation, most of the League’s concerns were addressed. The LSCU SVP of Association Services Jared Ross testified in committee on Tuesday about those concerns, which were recognized by members of the committee and the sponsor. They committed to working with all interested parties moving forward.
The bill that now has the private cause of action added back into it now moves to the Judiciary committee. The Senate bill, SB 1298 by Rep. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) has not yet been heard in committee but is expected to be soon.
