Innovators fear the patent trolls
JUDY NEWMAN jdnewman@madison.com
It probably wasn't until the threat of losing e-mail service through the popular, handheld BlackBerry devices sent a shudder through the nation that most people were even aware of a growing trend: small companies, often with only a handful of employees, taking on the tech giants in big-bucks patent lawsuits.
Microsoft has been a target; so have Intel Corp., eBay and many others.
Not only the big guys are affected. The Madison company Esker is in litigation, as well. Esker develops business-to-business software, and a small Atlanta firm called Catch Curve claims Esker is violating its patents, which cover fax systems and e-mail. Esker and Catch Curve have filed suit against each other in U.S. District Courts in Madison and Atlanta.
A term that's become popular lately in patent litigation is "patent trolls," used to describe companies that register or buy patents but have no plans to make any product based on the patent. Opponents say their sole purpose is to collect money from companies that have developed a technology, process or design covered under the patent and are successfully selling products or may do so.
