Bill · S. 2276· Senate(119-S-2276)
ETHIC Act
- Introduced
- 7/15/2025
- Last activity
- 7/15/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sponsored by
- Peter Welch
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The ETHIC Act aims to address patent thickets. It proposes changes to title 35 of the United States Code regarding patent infringement actions. Under this bill, a person bringing an infringement action against certain parties can assert no more than one patent per Patent Group. This limit applies to those involved with specific drug applications or biological product licensures. The Act also defines a Patent Group based on the use of disclaimers to avoid obviousness-type double patenting.
Yes· 3 of 6
Does this lower the price of prescription medicines?+6
The act aims to curb patent thickets that often delay the entry of cheaper generic or biological competitors.
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+5
Lowering prescription drug costs through competition benefits low-income households.
Would retired people be better off under this?+5
Seniors often rely on more medication and could benefit from lower prescription drug costs.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-3
Patent holders may find their ability to defend their intellectual property through multiple filings restricted.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Limitation on Patent Assertion: A person bringing an action for infringement may assert no more than one patent per Patent Group against specific parties (Section 2, subsection a, subparagraph A). This could limit the number of patents used in legal actions regarding drugs or biological products.
-
Prevention of Additional Patent Actions: Once a person brings an action asserting a patent in a Patent Group, they may not bring additional actions asserting another patent in that same Patent Group against that party (Section 2, subsection a, subparagraph C).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Restrictions on Legal Actions: The bill limits the ability of a person to bring multiple patent infringement actions within the same Patent Group against a party involved with certain drug or biological product applications (Section 2, subsection a, subparagraph A and B).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+5Good For Retirees+5Good For Middle Class Households+4Good For Business Owners-3
- Healthcare
- Reduces Prescription Drug Costs+6
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+5
- Education And Technology
- Improves Intellectual Property Fairness+4
- 7/15/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Josh HawleyRepublican · Missouri
Amy KlobucharDemocrat · Minnesota