Slashdot Mirror
Newegg Sues Patent Troll After Troll Dropped Its Own Lawsuit (arstechnica.com)
WheezyJoe writes: Not satisfied that a patent troll dropped its lawsuit against them, Newegg has sued the troll. So-called "patent holding company" Minero Digital sought to exact royalty payments on a wide range of USB hubs, suing, among others, Newegg's subsidiary Rosewill. But the "non-practicing entity" dropped its East Texas lawsuit against Rosewill within days of getting a call from the Newegg's lawyer. However, Minero dismissed its Texas lawsuit "without prejudice", meaning it can refile the case at a time of its choosing. So, Newegg filed its own lawsuit against Minero in Los Angeles federal court, asking a judge to lay down a ruling that Minero's case against Rosewill is baseless. Says Newegg's Chief Legal Officer Lee Cheng, "Minero's case does not have merit, and its patent is not only expired but would suck even if it wasn't expired. Now that they have started the litigation, it would be irresponsible for Newegg to not finish it."
I love newegg... sue the bastards... unfortunately I don't see newegg getting financial compensation.
Carthage must be destroyed!
The
Because they've handled this so awesomely, I'm now more inclined to buy from them next time I need computer stuff.
And sow the rubble with salt.
The TPTA will just give more power to the trolls
It's on now bitches
TaPaTapA, dance along now.
"Minero's case does not have merit, and its patent ... would suck even if it wasn't expired."
It's true, it's hilarious, but it's not an argument to make in court.
"it would not be in the public interest even if it wasn't expired" is marginally better.
"it would be invalid even if it wasn't expired, for the following reasons..." is much better, as long as the reasons it is invalid are legally sound.
But yeah, "it sucks" does have a nice ring to it. Just not in a courtroom.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
This behavior is flat out illegal.
I mean, if even Spock can use it, I guess it's good.
https://www.google.com/patents...
I'm kind of curious to see someone explain how this invention is different from all the other daisy-chain serial bus connections that were in use in 1995 when this was filed.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
"would suck" was the edit to make it sound better. And, relatively speaking, it's an improvement from a legal standpoint, imho.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
There simply was no comparison, Newegg was the best. For many, many years, Newegg was my one-stop computer shop. They ALWAYS had the best prices. Even better prices, in some cases, than buying direct from a channel partner like TechData or Ingram.
These days I almost always find better prices on Amazon for the same stuff. Couple that with Prime membership and zero hassle returns... I just can't justify buying from Newegg anymore.
Am I a bad human being?
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
Newegg is coming
Cool. I bought some rosewill drive enclosures a few years ago that are still working great. Although I didn't know they were a store brand at the time.
I don't buy much of anything on new-egg anymore. The site layout is just so messed up now I can't find anything anymore. It was better before they started letting people post classified ads as products for sell.
If it shows up in the list of results I expect to be able to buy it on Newegg not click through to Bullshitbrandxcompany to complete my purchase there.
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
Minero Digital awoke a sleeping giant. Once that is done, it's wrath is felt. I like how Lee Cheng said, "... Now that they have started the litigation, it would be irresponsible for Newegg to not finish it."
Newegg should INSIST on getting compensated for all of this. In fact, I think that they can ask for 10x the compensation. No?
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Once the lawyers have been disbarred, all parties involved should then be brought on criminal charges of extortion:
The obtaining of property from another induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right.
>These days I almost always find better prices on Amazon for the same stuff.
Amazon has probably the largest proportion of counterfeit products of any retailer, due to the way their business works. Some of them are very good counterfeits; the fake Otter Box from Amazon I looked at the other day had a perfect look-alike box, with the hologram sticker, very hard to tell the difference between the fake and the real thing except the fake was a bit lower quality. The rubberized button covers weren't really rubberized, so it was very hard to press the button, etc.
On the other wide, Newegg has been a leader in fighting patent trolls for years. Is it worth an extra dollar or two to be confident of getting legitimate products, while supporting a company that's fighting patent trolls?
"... Newegg house brand Rosewill..."
In my experience, Rosewill products are of often poor. It is interesting to learn that Newegg management is responsible.
When I was your age..I would have KILLED for TaPaTapA!!!
That patent expired last year.
Obviously Minero Digital strategy was threatening small businesses only, while avoiding any larger company with enough money to defend themselves, since Minero Digital certainly knows their case wouldn't stand on trial.
Is it worth an extra dollar or two to be confident of getting legitimate products, while supporting a company that's fighting patent trolls?
No. This is America. The Lowest Price Everyday[TM] is the only criteria we use.
he said, visibly erect.
... its patent is not only expired but would suck even if it wasn't expired....
So lets make sure we support NewEgg since they seem to be doing the right thing.
I hope newegg skrews them in the ground good
I recommend PC Part Picker.
Price Watch seems good also.
Well if quality isn't a factor in what you buy, then quality need not be a factor in the legal system.
I can understand wanting to save money, but you also need to understand the consequences of doing my so. Mind you, paying more doesn't always mean better quality, so buyer beware.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
If it is anything like a normal patent troll then this lawsuit is pointless, it will be a shell company that will just trade the patents to a new shell and evaporate leaving newegg with extra legal bills for no purpose. The whole business model of a patent troll is to have no real assets or employees to risk, just lawyers in a shell company.
Someone sent their boilerplate "pay up or we'll sue" extort... I mean "patent lawsuit" letter to the wrong company. Hopefully Newegg will be able to get a ruling that will set a precedent and dissuade these parasites from similar actions.
That is funny, as the only time I have ever gotten a fake was from Newegg marketplace. The few times I needed help from Amazon? I got what I paid for or the cash put back in my account almost the same day, when I got a fake from Newegg? Despite a dozen emails they wouldn't do shit, I ended up getting nothing but a pile of garbage for my money.
Ironically I was about to pull the trigger on nearly 2K worth of parts on some new builds but after fucking me over for $40? Amazon got that cash along with every purchase from the shop ever since. Say what you will about Amazon but when things go wrong? I always get my money or my parts, with Newegg I found out there support is pretty much file it in the can and call it a day.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
was made an obsolete defense during the Nuremberg trials. There is nothing requiring lawyers to take on these clients.
If I want a certain model/version/edition I tend to go with ebay as it's more WYSIWYG than amazon. Amazon has a really high tendency to use stock photos.
Plus some of the listings have been screwed up for years! Check these two out http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ... Buy nickel get brass
http://www.amazon.com/Gardner-... Buy brass get nickel
They have been like that since at least as far back as march 2014!
But the 2 day shipping and no rush credits are still great!
I haven't gotten anything from amazon or ebay that was counterfeit that wasn't advertised as such that I'm aware of anyway. You know good MFI spec lightning type cables go for about $1.60 each Apple still wants $19 for one. Let's see do I want 10 cables that will last about 3 months a piece or do I want to buy one cable that will last about 3 months? Same price, same country of origin and same crap quality.
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
Newegg does not fuck around. I love these guys and that they play hardball. I wish more companies, and particularly bigger companies like Amazon, would stand up to these patent trolls. They have the resources to do so and it would also be in their financial best interest to do so.
I'm glad for their policy against patent trolls, but I buy from them as little as possible.
Reason? Not prices, not selection, but return policy. Even if you receive a defective item, you have to pay return shipping.
Newegg's excuse? "It's not our fault if the product's defective." Honest, look it up on their site, that's their published excuse.
Well, if I get a defective product from Newegg, it's not my fault either. They can go suck Eggs.
Yeah, the Newegg Marketplace means you're not buying from Newgg, but from some random person who signed up to sell on their site - much like Amazon or eBay.
It's important to recognize that, according to the ArsTechnica article, "Rosewill" is just a name Newegg uses to hide the name of the actual manufacturer.
I've had some good products from Newegg's "Rosewill" also. Most Rosewill-branded products that I've seen have had some design or manufacturing defects, often amazingly foolish defects.
Read the complaints on Newegg. Newegg should get more knowledgeable people to evaluate the products sold under the Rosewill name. At present "Rosewill" is damaging Newegg's reputation.
I guess they saw Rosewill (I don't know them) and thought: "hey, easy target - easy money". Then the letter came on NewEgg letterhead and they went like "oh fuck, get out of this NOW", but the burdock already hooked onto them.
What people take away from what you wrote is that Amazon is cheaper.
If you want to do the morally right thing, you should go to a localy owned store and buy it there, supporting the local community.
If it is not available, either buy an alternative, start selling it yourself or go without.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
I was told though that this isn't the fault of the Patent Office per say but of Congress and the courts' interpretation of the law. I think the PTO itself recognizes this weakness, but it would require legislation to change.
Pretty much this. Unlike others and probably for no good reason other than I am a creature of habit - it's not even so much about the trolls, but that's a nice value added benefit, I generally shop at NewEgg. I'm not horribly concerned about price and the prices are usually close-enough. Unless it's broken, I only buy what I wanted, so nothing gets returned and I don't have to deal with their restocking fee.
When I've had an issue, I've had no problem returning it. That's seldom. I'm also honest about it - if I broke it then I don't just return it. If I buy a cheap device, instead of the more expensive device, and it doesn't work as well as I was hoping then I don't return it - so long as it works at all.
So, I pretty much just go to NewEgg for tech gear. I also buy quite a bit of stuff from them. I'm always buying something new - I really need to unsubscribe from their mailings. I have the impulse control of a five year old and the bank account big enough to make it a problem. Fortunately, I'm not a hoarder and I'm not a huge fan of clutter. I'm always able to find some kind soul who's willing (often eager) to take my tech hand-me-downs. Given my obscene hardware refresh rates, impulse buys, and inability to remember what I was thinking when I bought half the stuff - I probably buy enough stuff to keep a good sized group of geeks amused, full time.
Ah well... This won't actually change my buying habits. I pretty much just go to NewEgg and buy there already. It's very rare for me to buy hardware or tech items on Amazon and, if I do, it's probably a book or another damned impulse buy. Fortunately, maybe, the missus is a budding geek and will help me make use of the hardware. She's also pretty good with money, or so it seems so far, so maybe that will help - at least maybe she'll feel compelled to help me make use of some of those things that I buy.
"Oh, look. Those hard drives are dirt cheap and a good brand. They've got good reviews, are just a year old now, and they're on sale? Yes, yes I can probably use ten of them. No, ship it today - it's important!" Sadly, I just had that conversation in my head a few days ago. I did (still sort of do) have a plan for those hard drives - except I have absolutely no need for them. A plan? Yes. A need? Not so much.
Ah well... If you've ever wondered who those stupid emailings targeted? I'm that guy. You can unsubscribe. I probably should have done so years ago. "Oh, nice, they've got USB thumb drives on sale! I need a half dozen of those." At least my insanity goes to support a good company. I, umm... I don't suppose you need some extra hard drives?
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
Hmmm, beats my usual supplier by about 6% for a 4TB external hard drive. That is definitely worth remembering.
Newegg's Marketing Department may have reason to go around to the Legal Department for a mutual high-five. I'd literally NEVER have considered them before because previously I'd seen "Newegg" and read "foreign" with an undertone of "not considered."
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Funny, when you said "fortunately, I'm not a hoarder and I'm not a huge fan of clutter. I'm always able to find some kind soul who's willing (often eager) to take my tech hand-me-downs", I was mentally raising my hand. Have you seen on Mythbusters the big shelves of tubs in Jaime's shop, all neatly labeled with labels like "rubber body parts" and "linear motors"? That's me.
Then as I began to think of a funny reply, you ended with "I, umm... I don't suppose you need some extra hard drives?" As a matter of fact, I'm about to buy 24TB of drives if a certain customer finalizes their order with me. I run a hot spare / backup service called Clonebox, so I buy several drives at a time, and put them in rack enclosures which hold 12-16 drives each.
If you were in Texas, we'd probably enjoy hanging out. I haven't yet collected THAT much stuff, but I'm not retired yet. :) I HATE to buy something to replace I've bought before and lost or gotten rid of, or rent something multiple times, so I buy stuff and keep it.
As to organization, I looked to Super Walmart for inspiration. I try to more or less organize things the same way Walmart would. When a tub or shelf gets full, it's divided into two more specific tubs. Ie if I'm putting away dry-cell batteries and the tub is full, it gets divided into two tubs for two different types of batteries. You might have to treat your stuff more like a strip mall - the auto parts store area, the hobby shop area, etc.
> you'd never even dream of packing and moving yourself. Nope. Unless you can magically get all that stuff from one place to another? Yeah.... There's probably a law of physics to describe it.
In Texas, we call that mqgic force that moves thousands of pounds of stuff "Mexicans". You can find it at Home Depot.