@article{42085,
      author = {Risch, Michael},
      url = {http://tind.wipo.int/record/42085},
      title = {Patent Troll Myths},
      abstract = {It turns out that just about everything we thought about  patent trolls – good or bad – is wrong. Using newly  gathered data, this article presents an ethnography of  sorts about highly litigious non-practicing entity (NPE)  plaintiffs. The results are surprising: they show that the  conventional wisdom about patent trolls is likely based on  anecdotal, but infrequently occurring, events. Instead, the  patents enforced by so-called trolls – and the companies  that obtained them – look a lot like other litigated  patents and their owners.  To be sure, whether an NPE  qualifies as a troll depends on who is doing the  name-calling. Regardless of definition, though,  commentators on all sides have used little evidence to  support their positions. The reason is simple: there has  been little research about the patents litigated by NPEs  and even less about the source of those patents.   Understanding NPEs is critically important to better  understanding the role of patents in society and in  entrepreneurial businesses. The debate cannot be resolved  without further study of the companies whose patents are  now litigated by NPEs. This study is the first step in that  direction.},
      recid = {42085},
      pages = {44 pages},
}