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Good idea, but how would you determine who is a "patent troll"? Some of them are more obvious, like i2z. But 1-click is also a bullshit patent. Big companies
by vellum 14y ago
Good idea, but how would you determine who is a "patent troll"? Some of them are more obvious, like i2z. But 1-click is also a bullshit patent. Big companies like Amazon like to use patents both defensively and offensively. They're not going to contribute to the legal fund if it could be used against them.
I think the idea is more workable if you start with recruiting small to mid-size companies + VCs. The big companies are more likely to join on a case by case basis, especially with someone else taking point.
- robomartin 14y agoThe organization would have to put into place a process through which requests for help from members are evaluated. If the lawsuit in question is determined to fit the stated mission, purpose and standards of the organization they take over. There could also be staged levels of paid assistance whereby the organization might handle the case at a much-reduced cost when compared to going through other avenues. I don't have all the answers. Legal minds far more capable than mine would design a set of rules and options that would make this a true resource and, to use the term again, a "nuclear option" against trolls. I don't have a problem with the reasonable enforcement of legitimate patents, but the bullshit patents need a way to hurt those using them to troll in a major way. All you need is a few cases of trolls getting utterly destroyed in court for the environment to change completely.