What is a patent troll?

There are also companies like Unified Patents, and RPX, that collect and sell vast stores of data about the various types of patent assertion entities—companies that people who work in the tech sector often call “patent trolls.” One type of patent troll refers to a company that buys up others’ patents, and then uses them to file lawsuits.

How many patent trolls file a lawsuit?

In the high-tech space, patent trolls filed 88% of all lawsuits. Since EFF has started working to improve the patent system, we’ve seen a few big steps forward, like the introduction of inter partes review (IPR), and the 2014 Alice v. CLS Bank Supreme Court ruling.

How much does patent troll litigation cost?

Patent troll suits cost defendants approximately $29 billion per year on litigation, before counting the corresponding decline in investment in R&D. The Return of Patent Trolls The decline in the 2013 to 2017 period is largely attributable to post-patent grant review mechanisms.