Framing the Patent Troll Debate

Abstract

The patent troll debate has reached a fevered pitch in the USA. This peer reviewed editorial seeks to frame the debate by pointing out the lack of clarity in defining patent trolls and their allegedly harmful actions. It then frames the debate by asking currently unanswered questions: Where do troll patents come from? What are the effects of troll assertions? Will policy changes improve the system?

The editorial is available from Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents journal free of charge.

Keywords: licensing, litigation, monetization, NPE, patent assertion entities, patents, privateer, trolls, PAE