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Cisco Lawyer Outs Self As "Patent Troll Tracker"

Posted by kdawson on from the thorn-in-the-side dept.

DustyShadow writes "Slashdot previously discussed the $10,000 bounty (since raised to $15,000) that was put on the identity of the Patent Troll Tracker author by a law firm that represents patent holding 'shell' companies. After he received a threatening email last week, the author identified himself as Richard Frenkel, a director in Cisco Systems' intellectual property group. According to law.com, many patent litigators have followed the Troll Tracker closely and are worried that it may now be discontinued. According to the lawyer who offered the bounty, it has not been claimed."

15 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Bounty by The+Ancients · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does he get it if he outed himself?

    --
    The Mothership
    1. Re:Bounty by provigilman · · Score: 4, Informative

      What could this anonymous person have done to him that could possibly be "unpleasant"?

      RTFA dude...

      From the Article:

      Facing an e-mailed threat of being named, Richard Frenkel, a director in Cisco Systems' intellectual property group, identified himself on Saturday as the author of Patent Troll Tracker

      Someone probably found out who he was, and may have even been trying to extort money...something like "I'll get 15K for saying who you are, you pay me 5K and I'll keep quiet."

      At the very least though, he basically got an e-mail saying "Richard, I know who you are...come clean, or I WILL".

      --
      "Life's short and hard, like a body building elf." -- The Bloodhound Gang
    2. Re:Bounty by orclevegam · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually he had been told that if he revealed himself and did a public debate with the guy offering the bounty that the money would be donated to a charity (I believe of his choice, but not sure). According to TFA he hasn't responded to that offer either before or after he outed himself.

      --
      Curiosity was framed, Ignorance killed the cat.
    3. Re:Bounty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      "The clear threat in the email is that he would do it in a way I wouldn't be happy about. I don't know what that means, but as I have been growing weary of anonymity anyway, here I am" ... RTFB

    4. Re:Bounty by baboo_jackal · · Score: 4, Funny

      I wonder what Ray Niro (the Patent Troll) could possibly expect the outcome of that debate to be...

      "Let me explain to you how abusing the patent system is a 'Good Thing,' because it prevents me from being poor... And you won't like me when I'm poor... *starts turning green and growing*"

      I dunno. That's all I could come up with.

    5. Re:Bounty by Minwee · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "I'll get 15K for saying who you are, you pay me 5K and I'll keep quiet."

      Of course what he really meant was "I'll get $15K for saying who you are. You pay me $5K and then I'll have $20K in total."

  2. Sad by Steeltalon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I can only hope that this doesn't ruin the guy's career at Cisco. His actions have probably helped many businesses and products but I have to wonder if he may have violated the terms of his employment. I hope not, at any rate.

    --
    Regards, Ian
    1. Re:Sad by sjames · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He is an experianced lawyer, I'm sure he considered that very carefully before even starting his blog.

    2. Re:Sad by orclevegam · · Score: 5, Insightful

      TFA says Cisco has gone on record as saying that employees are allowed to have private blogs so long as they follow the business code of conduct. So, short of violating some law, or trying to claim Cisco is somehow involved they'll leave him alone to do his thing.

      --
      Curiosity was framed, Ignorance killed the cat.
  3. Depends. by jd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If the patent trolls thought they could get away with dipping the dollar notes in poison (similar to what was done to Donald Woods' children), I'm sure they'd have no problem with paying him. Although they're stupid enough to destroy the patent system, I doubt they're that stupid. On the other hand, I could see them paying the reward to Cisco to dump the guy. Employment in the US is "by will" and there are no IT unions, so the employee has no protection against malicious termination of employment. (The patent trolls could, quite legally, make it extremely difficult for him to ever be hired again.)

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    1. Re:Depends. by TooMuchToDo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Which, from a quick Google search of him and reading his blog and the comments of others in the patent litigation field, is quite likely. I doubt Cisco is going to dump their top IP lawyer because of some tool in Chicago wanting to out him.

  4. Re:Patent system is too expensive for taxpayers by Corpuscavernosa · · Score: 4, Informative
    Correction. The patent system is self funded through filing fees. The real problem is that Congress is actually the taking of PTO funds to support other non-patent endeavors.

    As a consequence, examiners get burned out because of increased workload and the inability to become real subject-matter experts, and there's your lack of experience in examiners.

    I have three friends with scientific backgrounds who graduated law school in 2006-5 who immediately took jobs at the PTO. As of now, none are still working there, citing the above reasons.

    --
    We figured out a long time ago that it's easier to elect seven judges than to elect 132 legislators.
  5. Cisco's interests by xant · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Moreover, his actions were very likely in Cisco's interests, and directly related to his job duties at Cisco. Cisco is not a patent troll afaik, they are more likely to be the victim of frequent patent trolling by companies wanting to profit from their products.

    Cisco probably patents a lot of stuff, but like most big patent holders, they presumably use them defensively.

    Feel free to do my research for me, but I say the above with a fair amount of confidence. :-)

    --
    It's rare that you're presented with a knob whose only two positions are Make History and Flee Your Glorious Destiny.
  6. Wrong guy by Trogre · · Score: 4, Funny

    No I'm the Troll Tracker and so is my wife.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  7. Idiot by adamkennedy · · Score: 4, Funny

    As an good EVE Online player knows, the optimal strategy when faced with a sizable bounty on your head is simply to create a new alt character on a trial account (if you aren't one of those crazy people with multiple accounts already), then log in both, fly the bounty out into space and then kill yourself with the alt to collect it.

    In real life, I guess the equivalent would be to find another instance of your DNA (family) or someone you trust otherwise (friends) and have them drop a "drama bomb" and out you.

    Once it's over, at least take their money!