DIMINISHING THE ATTRACTIVENESS OF TROLLING: THE IMPACTS OF RECENT JUDICIAL ACTIVITY ON NON-PRACTICING ENTITIES

Abstract

The United States patent system has increasingly been faced with complications presented by a type of non-practicing entity known as ‗patent trolls‘—patent owner entities that do not actively innovate, develop or manufacture patented material but instead seek to profit from patent ownership through licensing agreements and litigation.  This article explores arguments on both sides of the non-practicing entity debate and evaluates perceptions of this activity as both an accessible secondary commodities market and a litigation-based business model.