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Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

techcrunch.com

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Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#21

Post by iolothebard »

mariusz79 wrote: post #7
ReAzem wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is what I think. It's not a huge problem for Apple. It seems like to stay competitive in this market you have to play the troll's game and Apple has shown many times that it knows the game very well. In the end, it probably balances out. I'd like to see numbers on this. The real issue is small players getting buried under legal fees.

Hopefully if the big boys get burned by trolls, they will finally decide to do something about the current patent system.

They're the biggest trolls, like OP said.

Patents are a fucking joke in the age of technology. Fucking 20 year monopoly for a button, laughable.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#22

Post by bbarn »

sageikosa wrote: post #11
Cuuugi wrote: post #6

I don't understand. If "all four of VirnetX’s patents have been found invalid by the patent office" as Apple claims, why hasn't the case been dismissed?

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/jury-apple-must-p... "East Texas Jury"...

I don't get this. Is there some paid off official there? Different standards? Why is it such a great place to win patent troll suits - which seem to get overturned in higher courts? Is the idea that a win there will stop the defendant from trying to appeal?

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#24

Post by ant6n »

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #20

I have a modest proposal to get rid of these patent trolls and these ridiculous settlements that typically are decided by a jury of West Texas farmers. Patents ought to be designated a non-transferrable property. Inventors may create a trust that receives patent revenues, and direct those revenues to any entity they please (their own company, their heirs, another company, a charity, etc.) but would not be able to act…

So the patent trolls will simply sue on behalf of the owner and collect a 90% 'fee'.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#25

Post by mythz »

Now this Patent Troll has even more ammunition to shakedown companies in future whilst encouraging creation of even more low-life leeching NPE's.

Clearly Patent Trolls adds negative value, harms progress and increases cost of business - how long will this legal racketeering be allowed to continue?

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#26

Post by Oletros »

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #20

I have a modest proposal to get rid of these patent trolls and these ridiculous settlements that typically are decided by a jury of West Texas farmers. Patents ought to be designated a non-transferrable property. Inventors may create a trust that receives patent revenues, and direct those revenues to any entity they please (their own company, their heirs, another company, a charity, etc.) but would not be able to act…

Are you saying that companies can't bought other companies and take ownership of their patents?

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#27

Post by replies_to_all »

kbenzle wrote: post #19

If this is the kind of impetus needed to set off patent reform, all the better. I would argue against the "Troll" label, it is a legal firm doing its job very well. The Troll bashers I assume would prefer the companies to just leave this $ to the infringes? Why? Is it somehow immoral to use the legal system for financial gain? No, it is not, not at all. I'd say good on them for finding the loop holes and driving thei…

Yep, if the "trolls" are trolls so is Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, Google, all of them, are we saying the US is made up of all trolls?

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#28

Post by brianwawok »

bbarn wrote: post #22
sageikosa wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/jury-apple-must-p... "East Texas Jury"...

I don't get this. Is there some paid off official there? Different standards? Why is it such a great place to win patent troll suits - which seem to get overturned in higher courts? Is the idea that a win there will stop the defendant from trying to appeal?

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/07/why-do-patent-trolls-g...

> But why do patent plaintiffs, especially trolls, see it as such a favorable forum? Partly, the district's relatively rapid litigation timetable can put pressure on defendants to settle. But other local practices in the Eastern District also favor patentees. And, in our view, they do so in a way that is inconsistent with the governing Federal Rules, and work to mask the consistent refusal by the courts in the Eastern District to end meritless cases before trial.

Re: Apple Ordered to Pay $625M to Patent Troll in FaceTime Lawsuit

#29

Post by replies_to_all »

mythz wrote: post #25

Now this Patent Troll has even more ammunition to shakedown companies in future whilst encouraging creation of even more low-life leeching NPE's. Clearly Patent Trolls adds negative value, harms progress and increases cost of business - how long will this legal racketeering be allowed to continue?

Or maybe they act to keep the big players honest?
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