patent troll
2
9.0
- noun
- /ˈpætənt troʊl/
- Offensive
:
troll de patentes
- SurfCast is a patent troll looking for a quick payday.
- the term patent troll
It was not unlike what a patent troll does today.
- It was not unlike what a patent troll does today.
- My statement to someone that is the victim of a patent troll lawsuit would be that you are completely screwed.
- It's being billed as a way to fix the problem with patent trolls, which it doesn't even do a very good job of.
Examples
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Instead, every tech company and all the small patent troll companies are ruining everything for everybody.
Blog text (22) -
As a result, patent trolls are chilling innovation rather than encouraging it.
Academic text (2012) -
In short, some would say it is a patent troll.
Academic text (2006) -
What to do about the "patent troll" problem
Blog text (12) -
It was not unlike what a patent troll does today.
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Win or lose, it usually doesn't cost a lot for patent trolls to bring spurious lawsuits against companies and technologists.
Blog text (28) -
"Anybody who tries to enforce a patent in an area where they are not actively competing with a product or process, that's one definition of a patent troll," says Adam Jaffe, an economist at Brandeis University who has written books on the U.S. patent system.
Academic text (2006) -
Many startups struggle to survive because of the aggressive tactics used by patent trolls against them.
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The rise of patent trolls has made companies wary of developing new technologies.
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Investors are concerned that the ongoing lawsuits from patent trolls might hinder innovation in the industry.
How Aggressive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound pairs the clear noun 'patent' (a legal right) with the metaphorical sense of 'troll' (a predatory or nuisance actor), so a learner can infer it denotes someone who causes trouble involving patents. However, the precise specialized meaning—acquiring and enforcing patents primarily to profit through litigation rather than to produce inventions—is a domain-specific, metaphorical extension that is not fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
The name patent troll may come from the image of a troll hiding under a bridge to demand money, with patent meaning a legal right to an invention. One popular story says these people or companies keep patents and sue others or demand fees, so the name now means 'a person or firm that uses patents mainly to get money through lawsuits instead of making products'.