The Economist
The solitary, lumbering trolls of Scandinavian mythology would sometimes be turned to stone by exposure to sunlight. Barack Obama is hoping that several measures announced on June 4th will have a similarly paralyzing effect on their modern incarnation, the patent troll.
According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle. In one much-cited example last year, MPHJ Technologies and dozens of associated shell companies sent letters to thousands of small businesses demanding $900-1,200 per employee for using scanners which they claimed infringed patents. Vermont’s attorney general is now suing MPHJ, accusing it of breaking state consumer laws.
If you’d like to discuss intellectual property issues, contact Robert Iussa, chair Rose Law Group Intellectual Property Dept., riussa@roselawgroup.com rhurley@roselawgroup.com
