Don’t Protect Those Destroying the Patent (and IP) System
- digital233
- Nov 10, 2015
- 1 min read
Recently, arguments have again been raised trying to distract from the debate about abuse of the patent system by attacking the label “troll” instead of dealing with the real issues. In fact, some have even tried to redefine the “troll” into something of a hero. They are not all wrong, but they are certainly taking an utterly incomplete view on the issue. So what exactly is a patent “troll?” There is no universally used definition, but often it includes the notion that while it is someone who does own a patent, which is to say property, they are not using it or manufacturing the patented item. They generally seek to enforce their patents in an opportunistic way, often by acquiring particularly broad or sloppy patents to seek an opportunity in the legal marketplace. Ultimately, this is the trouble.