Patent trolls hurting economy

American businesses have a target on their back. Patent trolls are using flaws in our current patent law to attack companies in nearly every economic sector with lawsuits. Businesses large and small are unexpectedly receiving letters demanding money for alleged patent infringement. The businesses have a choice – pay legal fees to fight the unfounded allegation or pay a settlement amount to avoid the legal cost even though the company has done nothing wrong. Realty, construction, retail shops, hotels, grocers, convenience stores and restaurants have all been affected — sued for something as small as having a search bar or “shopping cart” on their website. Members of the newspaper industry were recently part of a case that alleged the business methods used to convert their own content to be used on the Web was a patent infringement.

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