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A patent troll is what is referred to legally as a non-practicing entity: A corporation that owns and enforces patents without producing any products or service
by wtracy 14y ago
A patent troll is what is referred to legally as a non-practicing entity: A corporation that owns and enforces patents without producing any products or services using those patents.
It's not an insult--it's actually a descriptive term in this context (albeit one with strong negative connotations).
- Daniel_Newby 14y agoIt is an insult. "Troll" is a content free emotional word. Non-practicing entity is likewise a useless name. If somebody wants to inform me, they had better say something like "claim 4 of the '387 patent is for accepting coins with a vending machine, which clearly is anticipated by the prior art". Saying "oh noes, evil patent troll" does not inform me. It is sensationalism and gets flagged as the garbage it is.