PALS Act
Latest action · Jul 18, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 18, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Prevent Abuse of the Legal System Act or the PALS Act
This bill imposes restrictions on U.S. patent infringement actions and transactions involving entities covered by certain export regulations.
Specifically, the bill's restrictions apply to all entities on a list maintained by the Department of Commerce under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Under the EAR, transfers and exports of certain items that implicate national security or foreign policy concerns are restricted when the transaction involves an entity on the list (i.e., a designated entity).
In patent infringement actions involving a designated entity, the pleading alleging infringement shall (1) state with particularity the relevant facts and remedies sought, and (2) identify in detail how each patent claim is found in each allegedly infringing product or service.
In such actions, a designated entity and its representatives may not obtain nonpublic technical information related to another entity's product or service, through discovery or other means. However, this restriction does not apply to a designated entity's legal counsel.
A sale or exclusive license of a U.S. patent to a designated entity shall be prohibited if (1) the designated entity has not undergone a national security review; or (2) a product or service subject to the EAR would infringe the patent, unless an appropriate license is granted.
Certain sales or exclusive license of a U.S. patent involving a designated entity and another foreign entity shall comply with certain antitrust provisions, including Federal Trade Commission notification requirements.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jul 18, 2019.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Original | Jul 18, 2019 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 18, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 18, 2019Introduced in Senate
- Jul 18, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46741 | Drug Pricing and Intellectual Property: The Legislative Landscape for the 117th Congress | Report | Mar 31, 2021 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to impose requirements in certain actions for patent infringement, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- PALS Act
- Prevent Abuse of the Legal System Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 18, 2019Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
