"The House of Representatives today took measured and reasonable steps against the misuse of the legal system by patent assertion entities, by passing legislation to dry up the financial incentives that allow patent assertion entities to thrive.

As a company that has a portfolio of over 10,000 US patents by dint of our strong culture of innovation, we care about a patent system that rewards true innovation - and we oppose misuse of that system by those who use the costs and uncertainty of litigation to extract unearned gains or to assert patents that should never have been issued.

At a time when most issues in front of Congress are frozen in gridlock, this bill passed with a strong bipartisan majority, 325-90.  Members clearly recognize that patent trolls are a drag on our economy and on innovation.

The fight now moves to the Senate, where I am hopeful that a similar bipartisan majority will take action against this growing problem.

On behalf of Cisco, I'd like to thank Chairman Bob Goodlatte for his leadership on this issue, as well as Representatives Zoe Lofgren, George Holding, Anna Eshoo, and so many others for their support.  The fight is not yet over, but today was a major step in the right direction."