The problem is that each patent, by definition, is unique in its coverage. Hundreds of thousands of patents is worthless if a troll has valid patent claims tha

The problem is that each patent, by definition, is unique in its coverage. Hundreds of thousands of patents is worthless if a troll has valid patent claims that read on your business. Also, massive amounts of legal firepower don't always help, as others have pointed out -- trolls are experts in exploiting moral hazard, compartmentalizing their business venture down to the single patent, such that if they find themselves on the losing end of a legal battle, they just fold up shop and move on to the next. There is a stereotype that all patent trolls use a flimsy set of claims to coax hapless defendants into settling, rather than face years in court. Not true -- sometimes trolls have shockingly applicable claims, and go after the big game head on -- Apple, Microsoft, Google.