Patent trolls make patents, and argue over them. They don’t have to ever make the thing described in their patents, if it’s even possible to determine what those things are. Instead, they generate legal threats and waste the time and money of companies that do do these things. This month’s Stupid.
This Captcha Patent Is An All-American Nightmare eff.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eff.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Stupid Patent of the Month
Patent trolls are everyone’s problem. A study from 2019 showed that 32% of patent troll lawsuits are directed at small and medium-sized businesses. We told the stories of some of those small businesses in our Saved by Alice project.
But some patent trolls go even further. Hawk Technology LLC doesn’t just sue small businesses (although it does do that) it has sued school districts, municipal stadiums, and non-profit hospitals. Hawk Tech has filed more than 200 federal lawsuits over the last nine years, mostly against small entities. Even after the expiration of its primary patent, RE43,462, in 2014, Hawk continued filing lawsuits on it right up until 2020. That’s possible because patent owners are allowed to seek up to six years of past damages for infringement.
Stupid Patent of the Month: Telehealth Robots Say Goodbye eff.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eff.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.