First Government Lawsuit Against a Patent Troll

walterbyrd writes "Late last year, a vigorous and secretive patent troll began sending out thousands of letters to small businesses all around the country, insisting that they owed between $900 and $1,200 per worker just for using scanners. The brazen patent-trolling scheme, carried out by a company called MPHJ technologies and dozens of shell companies with six-letter names, has caught the attention of politicians. MPHJ and its principals may have gone too far. They're now the subject of a government lawsuit targeting patent trolling—the first ever such case. Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell has filed suit in his home state, saying that MPHJ is violating Vermont consumer-protection laws."

Comments

Re:They took it seriously?

[alanbdee5808]

It happens far more common then most people think. I worked at a company where the Accountant was paying bills as they come in. It was only after she left and her replacement questioned it did we realize that we'd been paying a company like that for years.

Re:Nah, just keep on sleeping while the wheels tur

[Runaway1956]

"There's just no federal laws they can really go after these fuckers for violating."

RICO

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-rico-law.htm#did-you-know