Oregon has now become the second state to take aim at
non-practicing entities (NPEs), more colorfully called "patent
trolls," with laws addressing patent enforcement. On
February 25, 2014, the state attorney general announced that the
legislature had passed a measure making it a violation of the
Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act to send a demand letter that
fails to identify the patent and the violation, or that insists the
recipient make a licensing payment in an "unreasonably
short" amount of time.
The Oregon law is only the latest, however, in a flurry of
activity. Vermont passed a similar measure last year and
Nebraska is considering doing so now. Also last year, the
U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill designed to raise the
stakes for NPEs that threaten or engage in patent litigation.
The House bill would force plaintiffs to include in complaints the
identity of their parent companies and greater detail regarding the
alleged infringement. The bill
