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Vizio, Destroyer of Patent Trolls
An anonymous reader writes: We read about a lot of patent troll cases. Some are successful and some are not, but many such cases are decided before ever going to court. It's how the patent troll operates — they know exactly how high litigation costs are. Even without a legal leg to stand on, they can ask for settlements that make better financial sense for the target to accept, rather than dumping just as much money into attorney's fees for an uncertain outcome. Fortunately, some companies fight back. TV-maker Vizio is one of these, and they've successfully defended against 16 different patent trolls, some with multiple claims. In addition, they're going on the offensive, trying to wrest legal fees from the plaintiffs for their spurious claims. "For the first time, it stands a real chance, in a case where it spent more than $1 million to win. Two recent Supreme Court decisions make it easier for victorious defendants to collect fees in patent cases. The TV maker is up against a storied patent plaintiffs' firm, Chicago-based Niro, Haller & Niro, that has fought for Oplus tooth and nail. ... For Vizio, the company feels that it's on the verge of getting vindication for a long-standing policy of not backing down to patent trolls."
There is the rub. They knew they were doing something wrong and did it anyway. They knew they were brewing coffee too hot as they had been warned several times before. They brew hotter so more flavour is extracted and less ground coffee needs to be used.
You aren't even a coffee drinker, are you? NONE of this even has to do with the BREWING temperature, so your conspiracy theories about saving money are irrelevant. It's the hold and serve temperature.
McDonalds claims their customers like the coffee at a higher temp (175-180) since they often commute and don't drink it for a while. The trolling lawsuits claim that's too hot too spill on your genitals safely. I'd agree with the latter, though also with the former. But that means I try not to spill hot coffee on my genitals, and if I do, not to blame the person who made the coffee, but my own clumsiness.
Similarly, I also don't blame knives for being "too sharp" when I drop one on my foot or lasers for being "too bright" when I shine one in my eye.