The Seattle Times Publishes Op-Ed Piece by Jay Jurata '00 (JD)

San Diego (July 6, 2013) – The Seattle Times published an opinion article about patent trolls which was written by USD School of Law alumnus John "Jay" Jurata, Jr., '00 (JD). Jurata is a Washington, D.C.-based partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, specializing in the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property, whose technology client list includes Microsoft. 

The article discusses last week's announcement by the Federal Trade Ccommission (FTC) that it may open a market study into patent-assertion entities (PAEs). Jurata suggests that the FTC’s investigation is an important step in combatting the abusive use of patents. Companies such as Microsoft, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Costco, Nordstrum, and even Starbucks have been targeted by patent trolls initiating patent-infringement cases.

Jurata points out that not all companies that purchase patents engage in these abusive tactics, and the solution to the patent-troll problem should be carefully tailored. It must curtail abusive litigation and licensing practices, but not inhibit the secondary patent market by excessive restrictions on other nontroll participants.

Read the full article on seattletimes.com.

About the University of San Diego School of Law

Recognized for the excellence of its faculty, curriculum and clinical programs, the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law enrolls approximately 900 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest and taxation.

USD School of Law is one of the 81 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 23rd worldwide in all-time faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.