Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Latest SLAPP From the Patent Microcosm Shows Just How Abusive Patent Extremists Can be Towards Their Critics

The reality of writing about patent "scams"

SLAPP
Image source/context: Strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP)



Summary: Reaffirming its commitment to a highly aggressive approach, the patent microcosm once again sends me legal threats (for merely writing about nefarious actions)

TODAY is Easter Monday here in the United Kingdom. We planned to take a break from publishing. But publishing is not easy for reasons other than motivation or need to rest etc. I certainly don't wish to write about myself (too boring a topic), but sometimes I have no choice. I'd rather focus on the issues.



In relation to a patent "scam" which we last wrote about yesterday, TechDirt has just weighed in. It wrote about what happened a week ago. Yes, I immediately shared the letter with them, knowing that they are a famous victim of SLAPP (same person who had threatened me for my postings) and knowing that they are thus familiar with such matters.

"Readers should remember that the patent 'community' is all about lawsuits, so it's only good at suing or threatening to (in order to coerce people), not really fearing disbarment for SLAPP."As some background, Michael W. Shore is the main person behind misusing tribal immunity to secure dodgy patents. US politicians are already all over this, calling it all sorts of nasty things and creating legislation to stop this (it was in the news last week). TechDirt had covered this before and it was all over the news (New York Times etc.), so we're not talking about some obscure issue. Many people in various blogs have called this a "scam", which is why I put that word in quotes. A Federal judge called it a "sham". PTAB recently ruled against it as well. There are many layoffs in Allergan these days, so they must be getting desperate. We in Techrights already wrote nearly 15 or 20 articles about this topic alone (some of these were very long). We focused on the tribes and we focused on Allergan, rarely remarking/writing about individuals (such as the lawyers involved).

Readers should remember that the patent 'community' is all about lawsuits, so it's only good at suing or threatening to (in order to coerce people), not really fearing disbarment for SLAPP. Such disbarment very rarely happens. It's like they feel immune (and enjoy impunity) from a political system that is dominated by lawyers. The said action is just the latest of the abuse I receive for covering patents. There's more of it (this one I made public because it's very obviously frivolous). The USPTO should get its house in order/check because those patents that it grants are fueling/empowering a bunch of bullies, who not only threaten companies (patent trolling and blackmail) but also reporters, bloggers, critics etc. Coming to their rescue are extremist sites like Watchtroll, which are so eager to 'kill' PTAB that they post attack pieces almost every day (today too there was a piece about PTAB, this time by Hans Sauer and Melissa Brand). PTAB bashers are crazy. Some have even become racist and menacing. They're not pleasant people. They're schoolyard bullies.

"Legal threats like these aren't new; this has been done to me before, I think about half a dozen times (e.g. Charlatan Shiva, who claimed credit for inventing E-mail as soon as the real inventor of E-mail died)."Interestingly enough, the above-mentioned threat (good summary with background at TechDirt) came on around the very same day IP Kat published "Right of publicity not a right to control one's own image by censoring disagreeable portrayals, says appeals court in de Havilland case" (how timely an article!).

Legal threats like these aren't new; this has been done to me before, I think about half a dozen times (e.g. Charlatan Shiva, who claimed credit for inventing E-mail as soon as the real inventor of E-mail died). Readers certainly know that the EPO sent me several legal threats. It's just legal bullying from reckless thugs whose intent to silence critics; even if there's no lawsuit it's supposed to 'chill' the critics and thereby suppress further reporting (or other activities). After the EPO had done what it did (legal threats) it only emboldened me to write even more about the EPO and the latest case (misuse of tribal immunity) will be no exception. I will write about it even more from now on.

"If you 'dare' write about patents critically (as in critical thinking, no puff pieces) and you make a difference/have an impact, expect to be bullied."TechDirt has published the PDF that the bullies sent to me (as image; lawyers do not like sending a copy-paste-friendly version of their threats; they never do). I have no idea how he got my home address (whois.net has another address), so I am guessing that law firms might have some special access to some databases, but IANAL (I Am Not A Lawyer). The PDF says it was sent by FedEx, but it was never sent (or at least not received), so it's probably part of an intimidation tactic, sending someone to one's home to 'chill' the person even further (or a relative like my spouse). I have received some rather nasty and borderline violent threats/letters lately and would rather not have my address out there for all to see. That is the kind of stuff which can chill not only the critic but also family members or other tenants. Pure evil.

What is the lesson of all this? If you 'dare' write about patents critically (as in critical thinking, no puff pieces) and you make a difference/have an impact, expect to be bullied. The EFF has already gotten sued (repeatedly in fact) by people whose patents it 'dared' criticise. It always won the cases. But at what cost (legal expenses)? To think that 'tiny' Techrights too has become a target may make it noteworthy. But that won't silence us.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Reboots Should Never be Necessary
"BUT WHAT ABOUT SECURITY!!"
There's Still Hope for the World Wide Web
Let's hope that the trajectory of the Web won't be leading us to over-reliance on Google, nor will it reward worthless slopfarms
Gemini Links 15/07/2025: Smolweb and Alhena 5.1.7
Links for the day
XBox is Rapidly Turned Into a Slopfarm by Microsoft
Slop isn't about efficiency and saving money
Microsoft's Halloween Documents and systemd, Wayland, Etc.
Maybe one day Wayland will be widespread. Or maybe not.
 
Links 15/07/2025: Press Freedom at Risk and New Facebook Blunders
Links for the day
The Danes Want GNU/Linux
David Heinemeier Hansson recently moved to GNU/Linux
Cory Doctorow Explains Why Software Freedom Matters, Whereas "Open Source" Misses the Point and Helps Monopolies
It's a very long article
BillPR (EpsteinGate-Bribed NPR) is Turning Into a Partial Slopfarm that Promotes Slop
"I went on a date with a chatbot!"
Two Weeks Passed Since Latest Large Wave of Microsoft Layoffs, More Expected Next Month
Blaming the debt on "AI" is just self-serving storytelling
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, July 14, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, July 14, 2025
Gemini Links 15/07/2025: Gemini "Style Sheets" and Switching From Microsoft GitHub to Codeberg
Links for the day
Coming Soon: Another OSI Scandal, This One Implicating Molly de Blanc
OSI has been fairly quiet lately
Outreachy & Debian pregnancy cluster, Meike Reichle evidence
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Again, "Lunduke is Actually Sending His Audience to Attack People"
Microsoft Lunduke is not trying to "protect" Linux
One of the Most Hilarious Things About the Microsoft SLAPPs
It's so ridiculous
Financial Support for the Free Software Foundation or the GNU Project
The FSF has extended until Friday its fund-raising campaign
Illegally Hiding (or Demanding Secrecy Around) Illegal Requests or Attempts at Extortion
unlawful communications like threats
Gemini Links 14/07/2025: BOFH Archive, Updating Old Palm PDAS, and Nginx vs Slop Bots
Links for the day
Ubuntu is Becoming GAFAM-Like
What does that say about Canonical and Ubuntu?
Slopfarms Which Take Real Articles About GNU/Linux and Turn Them Into Copycats Which Are False
Even before the LLM hype those were quite common
The Firm That Picks on Techrights is Accustomed to Working With Criminals
Techrights never did anything illegal. So why is it being picked on by people who work with criminals?
Microsoft Said the Mass Layoffs Were for "Investment" in "AI", But It's Also Laying Off the "AI" and "Copilot" Staff
Months ago we showed many so-called "AI" people were getting the boot and this time it's the same
DryDeadFish is Dead, Long Live DryDeadFish
We kept checking, hoping it can recover from some temporary technical issue
For Quite Some Time Already Microsoft Attracts Crackpots, Scams, and More
Occasionally we talk about the situation at IBM as there are many parallels
Links 14/07/2025: Chatbots Broken Again, McHire LLM Shows Limits of the Hype
Links for the day
Changing One's Name Won't Change One's Past
People who have earned a bad reputation are not magically "entitled" to reset
People Who Assault Women Are Not Victims of "Distress"
It seems like an American tradition. In a country with almost 50 presidents, not even one was a female.
Slashdot Media Turned Linux Journal Into a Slopfarm and Now Slashdot Actively Promotes Anti-Linux Slopfarms
Yes, "no-nonsense" apparently means actual nonsense
Adoption of Gemini Protocol Still Growing
Gemini Protocol is being obscured by the media - it doesn't help that Google 'hijacked' the word "Gemini" - but people still manage to find out about it, download a client, and use it
Links 14/07/2025: Arresting Photographers, Threats to Revoke US Citizenship Over Criticism
Links for the day
More EPO Leaks on the Way
We hope that Mr. Rowan will actually try to refute what we say and show, not merely point the finger at the messengers
Decommodification is a Corporate Strategy Against Communities
systemd is led by Microsoft and hosted by Microsoft
copyleft.org 'Hijacked' by the People Who Attack the Person Who Created Copyleft
So far there's nothing "tasteless" in copyleft.org, but that can change at any time in the future
Asking People to Take Down Articles and Videos Only Makes These More Popular and "Viral"
If you do something bad, one of the worst things you can possibly do it try to silence those who speak about it
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, July 13, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, July 13, 2025
Two-Thirds Towards FSF Goal, Richard Stallman to Give Talks in Europe
There are 67 left before reaching the target
Brett Wilson LLP "Takes it Personal" (Character Assassination, Not Professionalism). Everybody Can See That.
On behalf of violent men
Gemini Links 14/07/2025: Politicised Tech and "Leaving GitHub"
Links for the day
Pissing Contests and Pissing Off Everyone
people who came from Microsoft are trying to vex and divide the community
Microsoft Repeats the Mistakes Made by the EPO After We Exposed a Major Microsoft/EPO Scandal 10 Years Ago
That scandal was all over the media, not just in English
The Demise of LLMs
We've just checked BetaNews again. They've dropped all the slop and went back to human authors.
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Sonpo Museum of Art and FCEUX
Links for the day
Links 13/07/2025: UnitedHealth's Censorship Campaign, Australia Wary of China
Links for the day
Firing Away With Nonsense
Or fighting fire with fire
Links 13/07/2025: Climate Crisis, GAFAM Poisoning the Water
Links for the day
Turns Out LLMs for Code Don't Save Time and Don't Improve Quality
Neither legal nor useful
The Microsofters Will Have an Obligation to Compensate Us
This story isn't just about Microsoft. It's also about corruption, there are many women victims, there is abject "abuse of process", and many more scandals to be illuminated in years to come.
Reproducing at the EPO Instead of Producing Monopolies for Foreign Monopolies With Their Price-Fixing Cartels
Does the EPO recognise the need of well-educated Europeans to bear kids?
Valnet Inc. Dominates Real (Not LLM Slop) GNU/Linux Coverage in 2025
And likely in prior years, too
Free Software Foundation (FSF) Fund Raiser Goes on
Later this month we'll expose another OSI scandal
EPO Staff Representatives Issue a Warning About Staff's Health and Inadequate Care
Even the EPO's own stakeholders (money sources) are openly protesting against what the EPO became
Links 13/07/2025: Partly Assorted News From Deutsche Welle and CBC
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/07/2025: Board Games and Battle Styles
Gemini Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 12, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, July 12, 2025