Small Business Owner Fights Patent Troll

You may have read about patent trolls: companies who buy up patents the sue companies they claim are infringing those patents for just enough money to avoid going to court. 

Patent trolls contribute nothing to the economy, and in fact damage the economy by stifling innovation and bleeding companies who are afraid to fight back (patent litigation is obscenely expensive)
(image credit: PC World)

The problem with patent trolls is getting so bad that it's obvious something must be done about it, and this small business owner is Exhibit A. He can't afford it, but he is fighting back against a patent troll who bought an old patent at a bankruptcy auction and is now threatening companies with lawsuits unless they pay up.

Business Week magazine has an excellent article about this problem HERE.

Ars Technica has a great article about a growing community of people who have risen up to fight back, giving the patent trolls major headaches in trying to extort monetary settlements from companies and individuals. Read about it HERE.

Patent trolls extract a tax from all of us in the form of higher prices and a lack of innovative products. This short video profiles this fight and is worth watching.