Patent Trolls Going After Media Companies; Will That Lead To Real Reform?
from the ink-by-the-bit-barrel dept
The folks at M-CAM have noticed a new trend in patent trolling: trolls are starting to target media companies with patent lawsuits, rather than just tech companies. The M-CAM report, by the way, is done almost entirely in verse, which is quite entertaining. Here's just the very beginning:Have you seen a troll yet this year?Of course, while media companies aren't quite as used to dealing with patent lawsuits, and also don't have patent portfolios of their own should they be sued by practicing entities, the one thing they do have is the ability to sway public opinion. It will be interesting to see, as this keeps up, if it backfires on the trolling firms by simply calling more and more attention to some of their practices.
Speckled, short, inciting fear?
We’ve heard them described as non-practicing entities
But we know “patent troll” is their proper identity.
Technology, it seems, is their favorite sector
The bones they pick, like Hannibal Lecter.
Big tech has had to make sacrifice
Of legal settlements at extravagant price.
The trolls have grown fat from the tolls they’ve collected
They proclaim, “Innovation – it must be protected!”
Though to make or create, they have no intention
Only hopes to profit off other’s creations.
And now they look for new bridges to block
Scouting for more victims whose stocks they can shock.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: media companies, patent trolls, patents
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
"We’ve heard them described as non-practicing entities
But we know “patent troll” is their proper identity."
to
"They often describe themselves as a non-practicing entity
But we know “patent troll” is their proper identity."
It rhymes better.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
But "patent troll" is their proper identity.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
They proclaim, "Innovation - must be protected!"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Just hope to profit from others' invention.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
...but it has no metre.
Quit correcting an innocent poem folks! Who d'ya'all think you are, Charles Babbage?
:)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Oh the irony, imagine what SOPA will do to them.
I can see Viacom on the receiving end of an injunction :)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
One can dream...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Excellent Question
TechDirt has recently referenced the New York Times as taking a stand against ever stronger protections for so-called "intellectual property". "NY Times & LA Times Both Come Out Against SOPA & PIPA". So, maybe, the media has finally become sensitized to the fact that the protection of so-called "intellectual property" has gone too far and is a threat to our civil liberties and the rule-of-law.
One can only hope that media exposure will lead to others realizing that the pendulum has swung to far and that this realization would translate into reform. However, as I previously wrote; the future appears bleak since both the current Administration and the Republicans running for President support "strong" protection for so-called "intellectual property".
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Plus the media doesn't tend to like publicly attacking their opponents, look at how most media companies pretend that Fox News is a legitimate news organization while Fox News returns the favor by bashing every other news organization as dangerous supporters of Obama.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
So who is the honest one here? Lesson 1 - None of them!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Bloody Brilliant !!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I'm betting $1 that the Pro-IP Trolls beat the Pro-BigMedia trolls, the IP trolls seem more coherent most of the time....
Although ... some of the Pro-BigMedia trolls have an uncanny ability to just shove their fingers in their ears and shout "lalala" whenever confronted with something they disagree with, arguably not the best form of defense but hmm... Nah, my bet is still on the IP Trolls.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Evil people understand three things:
Lawyers, guns, and money.
Targets need two out of the three to hire better ones and defeat the trolls in their own home: the courtroom. Unless, of course, you're in TX in which case the third item is also legally acceptable.
KIDDING.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
poetry 101
While often described as non-practicing entities,
"patent troll" labels their proper identity.
I'd send this whole poem back for a do-over.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: poetry 101
[ link to this | view in chronology ]