Rapid7 is working with dozens of other Massachusetts businesses to urge the state to take action to address bad faith patent lawsuits. If you are a Massachusetts-based business or trade group, you can help out by joining the below open letter. 

Innovation and entrepreneurship are key ingredients for economic growth and jobs, both in Massachusetts and globally. The US patent system often supports these values, introducing new inventions and methods to the market and rewarding patent holders, which Rapid7—as a holder of patents—deeply appreciates.

However, the patent system can also be misused to the detriment of growth and innovation. Through threats of expensive lawsuits, patent trolls (or “patent assertion entities”) can extract money from companies of all sizes with spurious claims of patent infringement. This activity can be very harmful, especially for smaller companies, diverting limited resources to payoffs and legal fees instead of product development, job creation, and providing social value.

The group letter expresses support for legislative action to curb abusive patent infringement claims and lawsuits in Massachusetts. More than 30 states have laws intended to provide protections such as greater transparency in patent claims and court discretion to weed out bad actors. This effort is not new in Massachusetts, but a continuation of the advocacy of many companies large and small, including this open letter from Massachusetts business leaders from 2016. While the Massachusetts General Court passed a patent litigation reform bill last year, it never crossed the finish line and was not signed into law. Join us in urging the Massachusetts legislature to take up the issue again quickly and work to pass an effective solution that protects entrepreneurship and innovation.