HB 5543

Meyer Bill Lets Targets Of Bad Faith Patent Claims Sue

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

Initial review · graded Oct 22, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to creating a private cause of action for bad faith claims of patent infringement.

Caption from analyzed text · version H.

Summary

Businesses with $25M-plus in assets can sue too. Senders may face a bond up to $500K.

The bill lets a business or person hit with a bad faith patent infringement claim sue under the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, where the old law said no private lawsuit was allowed. It covers end users who receive these claims, including large businesses with $25 million or more in assets that the consumer protection law would normally leave out. A court can also make the party sending the bad faith claim post a bond of up to $500,000 to cover the end user's legal costs, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development committee 9-0 on May 8, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB5543 · 2025-03-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Morgan MeyerRHouse 108

ITEM

relating to creating a private cause of action for bad faith claims of patent infringement.

WHAT IT DOES

Businesses with $25M-plus in assets can sue too. Senders may face a bond up to $500K.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 8, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

Mar 14, 2025Filed
Apr 7, 2025Read first time
Apr 7, 2025Referred to Trade, Workforce & Economic Development
Apr 30, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 30, 2025Withdrawn from schedule
May 7, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
May 7, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 7, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
May 7, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
May 7, 2025Left pending in committee
May 8, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 8, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
May 8, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
May 12, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 12, 2025Committee report distributed
May 12, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars

FILED UNDER

SPEECH AND LAWFARE

THE TEXT

…“violation of Section 17.952 is a deceptive trade practice under Subchapter E and is actionable by an aggrieved end user under that subchapter”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

The bill opens a new private lawsuit route for end users who are targeted by bad faith patent infringement claims, and it can require the claimant to post a bond.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Morgan Meyer

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$530K Texas Conservative Majority PAC$422K Texas Sands PAC$262K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 28, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$530,160.35

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$530,160.35

Cash: $275,000.00
Paid by others: $255,160.35
Total: $530,160.35

advertising $220,000.00polling $35,160.35

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Oct 16, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012321, 101035164, 101040580, 101060247, 101069424, 101072232.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC$422,350.00

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$422,350.00

Cash: $150,000.00
Paid by others: $272,350.00
Total: $422,350.00

canvassing $250,000.00polling $22,350.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Feb 18, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101040580, 101069424, 101072232.

Texas Sands PAC$262,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$262,000.00

Cash: $262,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $262,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 13, 2024 to Sep 25, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100988696, 101040580, 101072232.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$530,160.35

Cash: $275,000.00
Paid by others: $255,160.35
Total: $530,160.35

advertising $220,000.00polling $35,160.35

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Oct 16, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012321, 101035164, 101040580, 101060247, 101069424, 101072232.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$422,350.00

Cash: $150,000.00
Paid by others: $272,350.00
Total: $422,350.00

canvassing $250,000.00polling $22,350.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Feb 18, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101040580, 101069424, 101072232.

Texas Sands PAC

$262,000.00

Cash: $262,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $262,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 13, 2024 to Sep 25, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100988696, 101040580, 101072232.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses2

For: 2
Against: 0
On: 0

Names

For

Self1 registration
Texans for Lawsuit Reform1 registration

Sources

2 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 8, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version H by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 14, 2025

05/12/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Trade, Workforce & Economic Development · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Business & Commerce--Copyright, Patents, & Trademarks

Business & Commerce--Trade Practices

Civil Remedies & Liabilities

Courts--General

Text

The text as introduced · 232 words

89R15930 BCH-F

By: Meyer
H.B. No. 5543

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to creating a private cause of action for bad faith claims

of patent infringement.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 17.955, Business & Commerce Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 17.955. [ NO ] PRIVATE CAUSE OF ACTION : DECEPTIVE TRADE

PRACTICE . (a) A [ This subchapter does not create a private cause

of action for a ] violation of Section 17.952 is a deceptive trade

practice under Subchapter E and is actionable by an aggrieved end

user under that subchapter .

(b) Upon motion by an end user and a finding by the court

that an end user has established a reasonable likelihood that a

person has made a bad faith assertion of patent infringement in

violation of this chapter, the court shall require the person to

post a bond in an amount equal to a good faith estimate of the end

user's fees and costs to litigate the claim.

(c) A bond ordered under this section may not exceed

$500,000.

(d) The court may waive the bond requirement under this

section if the court finds that the person has available assets

equal to the amount of the proposed bond or for other good cause

shown.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.