FMI Commends White House Task Force on High-Tech Patent Issues

June 4, 2013 - ARLINGTON, VA – Encouraged by the efforts of the White House to issue a series of executive orders and propose legislative recommendations that will further protect businesses from Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), Food Marketing Institute (FMI) released the following statement from FMI Regulatory Counsel Erik Lieberman: 

“The grocery industry applauds the Administration’s efforts to increase transparency in the patent system and increase protections for entrepreneurs from PAEs, a.k.a. patent trolls. It is our hope that these measures will serve to reduce the tens of billions of dollars trolls cost our economy every year and free up these resources to be used for innovation and job creation. 

“Patent trolls pose an increasing threat to supermarket retailers and we are heartened that the President is taking major steps to address the enormous burden they are imposing on businesses, and ultimately, consumers.”

The White House fact sheet can be accessed here.

About FMI

As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply chain. FMI brings together a wide range of members across the value chain — from retailers that sell to consumers, to producers that supply food and other products, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services — to amplify the collective work of the industry. www.FMI.org