Quote:
Originally Posted by emellaich
The patent troll lifecycle typically begins with a startup business that has an idea, gets a patent
Some companies specialize in buying up patents from failed companies. Then they sue other companies to make money on the purchased patent.
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Not quite true. From what I've seen, most patent trolls actually go looking for "prior art" stuff like a basic concept of technology that they can patent. Once they've secured the patent, they start litigating. They only buy patents if they can get them really really cheap. Like in this case.
Either way, its just a sign that we need to rethink our use and abuse of IP law. A "use it or lose it" clause would go a long way towards stopping this, by forcing would-be trolls to actually make a product instead of just trying to keep them off the market.