4 ms·

There needs to be anti-SLAPP style legislation for patent trolls. I honestly don't understand why there isn't: it seems like an easy PR win for legislators. Who

There needs to be anti-SLAPP style legislation for patent trolls. I honestly don't understand why there isn't: it seems like an easy PR win for legislators. Who would be against this (except patent trolls)?

_jal 5y ago
I suspect lots of large companies that do make things but also hold many, many patents would object. Patents can a potent weapon, especially if you have a lot of them in a specific area. So to answer your question, I would expect opposition from anyone with a big portfolio who wants unencumbered range of motion to use them offensively. So for specific examples from the little corner of the world focused on here, I suspect and easy ones are Qualcomm and IBM. Probably Microsoft, probably Apple, but they've both surprised on some things recently.
- lstodd 5y ago
  They "hold many, many patents" (usually worthless) to have an "unencumbered range of motion to use them offensively" against similar entities. If the whole idea of using bullshit patents to defend against someone's threat of some other bullshit patents gets buried at last, then everyone wins because not having to trade "portfolios of bullshit patents" back and forth lowers costs of business for everyone. This was obvious at least 30 years ago, where have you been?
  - _jal 5y ago
    > This was obvious at least 30 years ago, where have you been? Watching things like this happen: https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/11/21363629/qualcomm-win-appeal-antitrust-ftc-lawsuit-frand-patents-chips https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/11/21363629/qualcomm-win-app... What color is the sunrise on the planet you inhabit?
webmaven 5y ago
> There needs to be anti-SLAPP style legislation for patent trolls. I honestly don't understand why there isn't: it seems like an easy PR win for legislators. Who would be against this (except patent trolls)? The American Intellectual Property Law Association, for one. It isn't too hard to look up who supported and opposed the Patent Reform Acts of 2005, 2007, and 2009. Wikipedia has pretty good summaries.

_jal 5y ago

I suspect lots of large companies that do make things but also hold many, many patents would object. Patents can a potent weapon, especially if you have a lot of them in a specific area. So to answer your question, I would expect opposition from anyone with a big portfolio who wants unencumbered range of motion to use them offensively. So for specific examples from the little corner of the world focused on here, I suspect and easy ones are Qualcomm and IBM. Probably Microsoft, probably Apple, but they've both surprised on some things recently.

lstodd 5y ago
They "hold many, many patents" (usually worthless) to have an "unencumbered range of motion to use them offensively" against similar entities. If the whole idea of using bullshit patents to defend against someone's threat of some other bullshit patents gets buried at last, then everyone wins because not having to trade "portfolios of bullshit patents" back and forth lowers costs of business for everyone. This was obvious at least 30 years ago, where have you been?
- _jal 5y ago
  > This was obvious at least 30 years ago, where have you been? Watching things like this happen: https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/11/21363629/qualcomm-win-appeal-antitrust-ftc-lawsuit-frand-patents-chips https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/11/21363629/qualcomm-win-app... What color is the sunrise on the planet you inhabit?

webmaven 5y ago

> There needs to be anti-SLAPP style legislation for patent trolls. I honestly don't understand why there isn't: it seems like an easy PR win for legislators. Who would be against this (except patent trolls)? The American Intellectual Property Law Association, for one. It isn't too hard to look up who supported and opposed the Patent Reform Acts of 2005, 2007, and 2009. Wikipedia has pretty good summaries.