Intellectual Property
Mar. 16, 2011
When Is a Patent Troll a Patent Troll?
Use of the term "patent troll" is meant to prejudice and can curtail the rights of property owners.
Lawrence M. Hadley
Partner
Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP
Phone: 310-553-3000
Email: lhadley@glaserweil.com
Lawrence is chair of the Intellectual Property Department and co-chair of the Crisis Management & Response Department.
When someone uses the phrase "patent troll," it is a safe assumption that the term is intended derogatorily. But what is a patent troll? How easy is it to spot one? Many would say that a patent troll, in politically correct terms, is a "non-practicing entity" or NPE. But does NPE really define a patent troll? Or is NPE just a term that is equally amorphous - requiring its own definition? After hearing and reading about patent trolls from the time the term was first coined, I have reached...
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