Thursday, May 2, 2013 5:19 pm | By Christopher Elmiger
The issue of patent abuse is not a topic that traditionally garners much attention among those outside the technology industry, but a recent move in the U.S. House of Representatives has shone a spotlight on patent issues that has transcended beyond Capitol Hill and high-tech circles. Recognizing the impact patent abuses can have on both startups and consumers, the recently introduced SHIELD Act seeks to dissuade “patent trolls” from filing frivolous lawsuits that are a major drag on the legal system and on the technology industry.
Patent pools and the case of high license fees 4/4
Thursday, February 28, 2013 6:26 pm | By Christoph Elmiger
Patent pools offer licenses for technologies at a fair fee. This system seems like an effective solution until the patent begins to expire. That means the patents lose their power that brings the value, so the price should go down. But now some pools lock in licensors for long terms and the conditions don’t reflect the worth of the patents. For large corporations is it not a problem to pay these fees, but for small and medium sized startups they erect barriers.
Patent trolls against innovation and consumers 3/4
Monday, February 25, 2013 5:35 pm | By Christoph Elmiger
Patent trolls which start lawsuits mar the market,but these suits are not even shared on all patent classes. The study of James E. Bessen shows us that computer and communication patents account for seventy five percent of the lawsuits. In contrast, two percent of the suits involved chemical or drug patents. Software patents have been the major contributor to the recent explosion of lawsuits. With that in mind, what effect do these suits have on the market and, ultimately, the consumer? For starters, “Patent trolls have cost publicly traded defendants $500 billion since 1990.”
