Patent Trolls Strike Again: Apple, RIM, Palm Targerted

by Eric March on August 7, 2008 at 10:42 am

Patent trolls are the bane of corporate and technological progress. They’re typically run by slimy lawyers (or half-baked hacks who couldn’t cut it at the bar exam) and they have absolutely no product to manufacture or sell. They make their money by buying up existing patents or sitting around dreaming up things to patent that others have not yet patented for the explicit purpose of turning around and suing everyone whose technology now infringes upon their newly-minted intellectual property. They contribute nothing to the world — unless you count stifling technological progress and corporate confidence in the American patent and justice systems as a contribution. They are poster children for tort reform. Ugly poster children.

So what’s got me all riled up this morning? WiAV Solutions, LLC. Certifiable patent troll. In fact, they have become so notorious that Texas company American Microsystems filed for a summary judgement against them last year in a pre-emptive strike against their increasingly threatening advances. But that hasn’t stopped WiAV from chasing after bigger and bigger fish, and this time they’re hoping to land some of the biggest fish of all: Apple, RIM, and Palm.

WiAV are asking the courts for a permanent injunction against the sale of infringing products manufactured and sold by the trio, alledging that they are infringing on some rather vague patents such as mobile device power management, altering music volume to accomodate voices, and detecting the difference between silence and noise, to name but a few. No, I’m not kidding, and neither are they. In fact, 8 of the patents were sold under exclusive license to Mindspeed Technologies, so WiAV is asking the courts to include Mindspeed as a plaintiff as well. Mindspeed are undoubtedly unwilling participants however, because it seems that owing to WiAV’s apparent lack of confidence in the strength of their own case, they are forcing Mindspeed on to the docket under threat of being made a defendant if they don’t

There’s no telling whether the courts will find that the suits have merit, but they’re taking on some heavy hitters who aren’t going to take this lying down and can afford to tie this up in litigation for a good long time. It is highly doubtful that the courts will grant the injunction though, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I do hope they all countersue the bastards out of existence, however. None of the companies have even started talking yet; it’s all just paper right now.

If you’re into reading court papers, you can read the complaint here (PDF warning).

(Apple Insider, via Engadget)

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