2013: Schweikert Voted To Reform The Patent Lawsuit Processes In An Effort To Reduce The Number Of So Called 'Patent Troll' Lawsuits. In December 2013, Schweikert voted for legislation that would have required patent holders to provide additional information, limited the discovery process and awarding attorney's fees to the winning party in some cases. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Passage of the bill that would overhaul the patent infringement litigation process. It would require patent holders who file infringement lawsuits to disclose greater detail regarding the alleged infringement. It would limit the discovery process while courts interpret the terms of the patent. It would require courts to award attorney's fees and other costs to the prevailing party, unless the losing party's actions were 'reasonably justified' or if it would it would cause severe economic hardship to the inventor to pay. The bill would direct courts to grant requests to put a hold on certain patent infringement lawsuits pending the outcome of the lawsuit or a similar case for the manufacturer. It also would modify the 2011 patent overhaul (PL 112-29) to require the Patent and Trademark Office to use certain methods for defining elements of a patent in post-grant or inter partes reviews of the validity of a patent." The vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 325 to 91. The Senate took no substantive action on the bill. [House Vote 629, 12/5/13; Congressional Quarterly, 12/8/13; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3309]