Explore the phenomenon of companies that purchase patents for the sole purpose of litigating against potential infringers and not creating new products or services.
Intellectual Property (IP) Law: An overview of IP law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
Patent law: An introduction to the concept of patents, including definitions, requirements for obtaining a patent, and the role of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Patent Application Process: A step-by-step guide on how to file a patent application and the timeline for the application process.
License Agreements: A discussion of license agreements in the context of patent law and how they can be used to monetize patents.
Patent Litigation: A broad overview of the patent litigation process, including the different types of infringement, potential remedies, and legal standards.
Prior Art: A discussion of prior art in the context of patent law, including what it is and how it can be used to invalidate a patent.
Patent Trolls: An introduction to the concept of patent trolls, including their business model, tactics, and impact on innovation.
Case Studies: An analysis of some of the most famous and high-profile patent troll cases, including the Apple-Samsung litigation and the Nortel patent auction.
Patent Reform: A discussion of the ongoing debate about patent reform, including proposed changes to the law and their potential impact on the industry.
Emerging IP Issues: A review of emerging IP issues, including the impact of new technology (such as blockchain and AI), the role of international law, and the future of patent law.
Standard Essential Patent (SEP) Troll: These trolls hold patents that relate to essential technology standards that their owners promised would be licensed on reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms. They seek higher royalties, damages, and licensing fees that are disruptive to the economy.
Portfolio Holder Troll: These trolls hold numerous patents with varying degrees of strength and sue businesses for patent infringement. They hope to extort settlements or licenses to avoid expensive legal proceedings that would quickly invalidate their inferior patents.
Public Intellectual Property Exchange (PIPE) Troll: These trolls work on behalf of aggregated investors who own patents that enforce a specific technology or product. Their goal is to maximize profits from litigation, licensing fees, and selling of the patent portfolios.
University Troll: Universities granted patents from research can sell, license, or sue for infringement. Some become trolls by seeking high royalties or inflated licensing fees, but some universities with troll-like behavior do not provide sufficient value for the patents.
Shell Company Troll: These entities do not have business operations and exist solely to purchase and enforce patents. They look for a target with a deep pocket and sue them for significant damages, hoping for a quick settlement.
NPE (Non-Practicing Entity): Companies that hold patents but does not produce the product, technology or service covered by it.
Overzealous Inventor Troll: An inventor who believes their patent is revolutionary when it's not, and they seek to sue others for infringement to realize the "full" value of their patents.
Reverse Patent Troll: These companies are actually targeted by patent trolls: Seeking patents related to the type of infringement their business is susceptible to - offensively using these patents to destroy the trolls.