ANA Joins Three Other Associations in Letter to House Subcommittee on Demand Letters

On April 8, ANA joined the National Retail Federation (NRF), the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) in a letter to Reps. Lee Terry (R-NE) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), the Chairman and ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.  

Our letter notes that the Innovation Act (H.R. 3309) that passed the house in December 2013 did not include provisions dealing with pre-litigation demand letters, an ongoing issue for those in our industry who use everyday technology for which someone is claiming a patent, often under questionable circumstances.  Instead of confronting costly litigation, often those receiving these letters simply settle the nuisance claims.  We urge that the subcommittee give the FTC further direction on dealing with the demand letter issue under its Section 5 authority.   

You can read our letter here.  If you have any questions, you can reach Dan Jaffe in ANA’s Washington office at 202.296.2359 or at djaffe@ana.net.