IP Freely

Alright folks, Things I Like is gonna play a slow jam. Go ask that cutie in the corner to dance, because it's about to get serious up in here. That's right -- I'm blogging about a dry b2b article. Jiggawhaaaaat? No pickshurs? Don't worry. Imma break it down for you like your mom's favorite magazine -- real simple.

So this company RPX (which totally sounds like a rapper's name) has this crazy business model, in which they "buy up patents that could be potentially used in infringement suits and then, instead of suing, license the patents to those companies that had agreed to pay its annual membership fee." Bling-bling! How baller-illiant is that?!

So then there was this case between 20 defendants and Acacia Research Corp. RPX rolls up to the gang fight outside da club in its Escalade and is all, "Yo, Acacia, get in my car!" RPX makes a licensing deal with Acacia, then licenses the patents to the 20 defendants to avoid litigation. Bling-bling-BLING! RPX has now signed Microsoft, MacAfee and Symantec. That is one major label!

But it's bad news bears for patent owners (and litigators). As Litigation Daily reports, "Right now, litigation is a tried-and-true way for patent owners to squeeze value from their intellectual property. Trolls, NPEs, and patent holding companies--which continue to bring a big percentage of all patent infringement claims--bet that they can use the leverage of litigation to get returns on their investments in patent portfolios. But Amster argues that RPX could conceivably put patent trolls out of business--and thus put a serious dent in patent litigation."

JK, here's a picture:




Via Litigation Daily.