Patent troll

Common card · No. 282264

In international law and business, patent trolling or patent hoarding is a categorical or pejorative term applied to a person or company that attempts to enforce patent rights against accused infringers far beyond the patent's actual value or contribution to the prior art, often through hardball legal tactics (frivolous litigation, vexatious litigation, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP), chilling effects, etc.). Patent trolls often do not manufacture products or supply services based upon the patents in question. However, some entities (such as universities and national laboratories) that do not practice their asserted patent may yet not be considered "patent trolls" when they license their patented technologies on reasonable terms in advance. Other related concepts include patent holding company (PHC), patent monetization entity (PME), patent assertion entity (PAE), and non-practicing entity (NPE), which may or may not be considered a "patent troll" depending on the...

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