Ask Slashdot: When Is Patent License Trading Not Trolling?

Posted by Unknown on Wednesday September 18, 2013 @05:30AM from the middlemen-like-to-think-that dept.

LeadSongDog writes "A piece in yesterday's Forbes offers arguments on why not all 'Non-Practicing Entities' are 'Patent Trolls.' Comments here on such businesses are often critical. Is there a right way to trade in patents for profit without abusing the process?" From the article: "The Founders’ decision to foster non-practicing entities and patent licensing proved crucial to America’s rapid technological progress and economic growth. Patent records from the nineteenth century reveal that more than two-thirds of all the great inventors of the Industrial Revolution, including Thomas Edison and Elias Howe, were non-practicing entities who focused on invention and licensed some or all of their patents to others to develop into new products."

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Re:Consider this... by Rinikusu · 2013-09-18 06:20 · Score: 5, Funny

"How much would we have to pay 'the Patent Holder' for licensing of their shitty little patent?"
"$50 million a year, sir."
"What's contract killers going for on Silk Road?"
"$15k/head"
"How many patent holders?"
"Six are listed." ...
"let's save ourselves over $49 million bucks. Fire up Tor."

--
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai