The term creeps up in news articles and lawsuits, but
internet slang has obscured some of the meaning of "patent
troll" to those outside the Intellectual Property (IP) sphere.
Understanding the threat posed by these bad actors is the first and
most important step in overcoming it.
When we think of trolls in our day-to-day lives, we imagine
those people who behave in an inflammatory way online. While there
is a thematic similarity in that any interaction with either type
is going to be unwelcome, patent trolls can be much more than an
emotional nuisance, capable of inflicting massive harm to finances
and research by suing others. Patent trolls have this unique
chokehold not because of their ingenuity or ability to innovate but
because of their predatory exploitation of the IP environment.
