Trolls: they don't just live under the Fremont Bridge

Marissa Brent-Tookey • Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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                <h1>Trolls: they don't just live under the Fremont Bridge</h1>
                <h2><p>Patent trolls are an increasingly common hurdle for innovators these days, says GeekWire, in reference to a report released by Unified Patents. Startups actually wanting to build new technology face disputes brought on by "non-practicing entities," many of whom are based in Texas and are represented by the</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/marissa-brent-tookey-crosscut-com/">Marissa Brent-Tookey</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <figure class="kg-card kg-image-card"><img src="https://avalancheghost.one/content/images/sites/default/files/images/article/gallery/fremont_troll.jpg" class="kg-image" alt="The" loading="lazy" width="230" height="300"></figure><p>Patent trolls are an increasingly common hurdle for innovators these days, <a href="http://www.geekwire.com/2015/patent-trolls-increasingly-targeting-tech-apple-amazon-among-most-frequently-sued/?ref=avalancheghost.one">says GeekWire</a>, in reference to a <a href="http://unifiedpatents.com/1st-half-2015-patent-dispute-report/?ref=avalancheghost.one">report released by Unified Patents</a>. Startups actually wanting to build new technology face disputes brought on by "non-practicing entities," many of whom are based in Texas and are represented by the same law firm. While trolls have been responsible for 68 percent of  patent litigation in the first half of 2015, that jumps to 90 percent within the tech industry. The most popular targets? Apple, Actavis (a pharmaceutical company) and Amazon.</p>
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Patent trolls are an increasingly common hurdle for innovators these days, says GeekWire, in reference to a report released by Unified Patents. Startups actually wanting to build new technology face disputes brought on by "non-practicing entities," many of whom are based in Texas and are represented by the same law firm. While trolls have been responsible for 68 percent of patent litigation in the first half of 2015, that jumps to 90 percent within the tech industry. The most popular targets? Apple, Actavis (a pharmaceutical company) and Amazon.

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By Marissa Brent-Tookey

Marissa Brent-Tookey is an editorial intern at Crosscut. She holds a B.A. in French from Seattle University and now studies film production at Shoreline Community College. In addition to crewing a doz