Federal antitrust enforcement agencies are closely studying the
growing activity of patent assertion entities (PAE). At a
recent joint workshop sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), participants from
academia, industry and the legal world discussed the competitive
impact of these organizations and considered whether antitrust law
offers regulators any tools to grapple with potential
anticompetitive activity. No new policy prescriptions emerged
during the daylong session, but the agencies continue to seek
comment and study this rapidly developing area.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ) hosted a daylong workshop on December 10, 2012, which
gathered lawyers, academics and industry representatives to discuss
the growing activity of patent assertion entities (PAE).
Patent assertion entities, often derisively referred to as patent
"trolls," are organizations whose business model is
