"Patent Troll" Reform Bills Moving Through Congress

Patent litigation has become an enormous industry impacting companies of all sizes, from independent coffee shops to multinational technology firms.  In 2012 alone, there were 5,189 patent suits filed, which was a 29% increase from the previous year. Over half of all patent suits are brought by corporations created solely for the purpose of enforcing patent rights, formally called "non-practicing entities" (NPEs) or "patent assertion entities" (PAEs) -- colloquially referred to as "patent trolls." Over 70% of patents now being asserted are acquired patents, that is, the patents are not being asserted by the inventor(s) or original owner, compared to 10 years ago, when only 30% of asserted patents were acquired.