Patent Trolls: What Are These Hideous Creatures?

May 27 (Bloomberg) --- What is a patent troll? You've heard the term. But are these hideous creatures truly innovation's worst enemy? Bloomberg partnered with Switch-Video, which makes explainer videos, for a quick animation that helps define patent trolls. Bloomberg's Cory Johnson reports. (Source: Bloomberg)

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[redsnake]

A danger for innovation and a legal form of extortion.

[justfix]

Its this type of think that needs to be fixed in the patent laws, if you do not have someone actively working on a concept or invention they should loose their rights to it.

[JoshDR]

What is the source for the 3, 000 out of 4, 700 statistic? I cannot find one?

[TaylorMade]

So how does one protect oneself from these beasts?!!

[paperbeen]

IP Europe chief denounces
‘patent troll myth’
The head of a corporate alliance that includes Nokia and Ericsson has urged the EU to ignore the so-called ‘patent troll myth', which he said has “little basis in fact”.In a letter to The Financial Times, published today, January 21, IP Europe executive secretary Francisco Mingorance said that the narrative of abusive litigation by ‘patent trolls’ was a “calculated attempt to create a false rationale for weakening the patent protections of technology innovators in Europe”.