The filing, announced by the DOJ's Office of Public Affairs, was made in support of neither party and does not take a position on the merits, the department said.
"Innovation is core to dynamic competition, and vigorous competition is central to the success of the American economy. Policies that preserve incentives to innovate are therefore vital to safeguarding competition," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Dina Kallay of the Antitrust Division.
Kallay said the division was "pleased to partner with our USPTO colleagues to address these critical issues and support innovators, both big and small."
According to the press release, the statement explains that "unduly limiting patentees' ability to seek injunctive relief to block patent infringement undermines the incentive to innovate." The agencies said a patentee's right to exclude is grounded in the U.S. Constitution.
Non-practicing patentees "should not be categorically denied the opportunity for injunctive relief" and, under certain circumstances, can demonstrate irreparable harm and the inadequacy of monetary damages, the statement says, according to the release.
John A. Squires, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director, said the office joined the filing "because a thorough evaluation as to whether a patent owner is entitled to injunctive relief is foundational to the exclusionary right a patent confers."
"Injunctions prevent ongoing and irreparable harm to innovators and the innovation economy, and ensure that legal remedies can stop unlawfully copied inventions from continuing to harm innovators," Squires said.
The DOJ said the Antitrust Division routinely files statements of interest and amicus briefs in federal court.