> "The result is a flood of low-quality, vaguely worded patents that act as a tax on innovation." All true, but this doesn't quite hit the core of the issue. T

> "The result is a flood of low-quality, vaguely worded patents that act as a tax on innovation." All true, but this doesn't quite hit the core of the issue. Taxes are predictable and feel somewhat legitimate. What actually happens with patents, has the subjective feel of criminal activity. When I hear about someone in our industry being litigated by a patent troll, it's like hearing about someone in our community being mugged. Regardless of all the technical legalities, it feels like being exposed criminal activity. And it does, in fact, have many of the properties of a criminal shakedown: attackers operating in the shadows, a small probability of large loss, targets selected based on strength. We have a government agency overtly support something that is, on the emotional level, a form of banditry. This is seriously undermining the US government's perceived legitimacy.