The increasing impact of 'patent trolls'

Much has been written about patent trolls, which are also known by the less pejorative terms ‘non-practising entities’ (NPEs) and ‘patent assertion entities’ (PAEs). This US jurisdictional column has at times included observations regarding the status of NPEs and the impact they have had upon US businesses. The outrage fuelled by NPEs’ aggressive tactics has given rise to efforts by state legislators to rein in and blunt their ability to operate as freely as in the past. Never before have there been so many attacks by patent trolls.