With high profile battles between electronics giants like
Apple® and Samsung®, patent related stories have become
common place in the American news cycle. And when President Obama
mentioned patent reform in his latest State of the Union Address in
January, many patent practitioners felt an uncomfortable pride in
our industry. Patents are relevant, but is it for the wrong
reason?
During the State of the Union Address, President Obama spoke
exactly one sentence on Patent Reform:
"And let's pass a Patent Reform Bill that allows
our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless
litigation."
Many Americans might not have noticed the reference and those
that did, may not have understood it. Most practitioners
immediately recognized this as a shot at "patent troll"
litigation. "Trolls," also known as "non-practicing
entities" (NPE), or more preferably, "patent assertion
entities" (PAE), were the target of a June 2013 White House
Report addressing the
