Patent trolls have become a serious issue in the real estate industry. REALTORS® across the country have received threatening letters, and even faced lawsuits alleging patent infringement, for the use of common business tools, such as drop-down menus, search-alert functions on websites, and the scanner function on a photocopier.
Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation successfully worked to include an additional $250M in federal appropriations for the construction of rail. The U.S. Senate and House appropriations committees included the funding in both of their Fiscal Year 2016 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bills.
The National Association of REALTORS® issued a Call For Action to support H.R.9, The Innovation Act, legislation that would close loopholes in the legal system that currently allow patent trolls to target REALTORS® for using common business technologies, such as dropdown menus and search functions on websites, or scan-to-email technologies found in every office scanner.
The purpose of Bill 22 is to amend the Land Use Ordinance (LUO) relating to Transient Vacation Rentals (TVR).
The amendments would:
