DOJ, FTC Testimony Before Congress Indicates Enforcement Focus On Standard-Essential Patents And Concern Over ITC Exclusion Orders

Recent testimony from the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) before the Senate Judiciary Committee focused on issues relating to standard-setting activities and competition policy.  Antitrust Division Acting Assistant Attorney General Joseph Wayland and FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez discussed the issue of injunctive relief to enforce standard-essential patents and emphasized the importance of pending actions before the International Trade Commission.

On July 11, 2012, representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding issues relating to standard-setting activities and competition policy.  Acting Assistant Attorney General Joseph Wayland spoke for the Antitrust Division; Commissioner Edith Ramirez represented the FTC.  Although Wayland and Ramirez each traced the historical and current efforts of their