Summary: A bundle of recent reports about the patent trolls pandemic in the United States

WHEN even Carnegie Mellon University joins the crowd of patent parasites we know that this culture has become mainstream yet endemic in a sense. Masnick et al. tackled some stories in December and January. Not much needs to be added, it is self-explanatory really. ⬆

● Patent Trolling Carnegie Mellon Wins What Could Be Largest Patent Verdict Ever: $1.2 Billion

The Apple/Samsung patent battle has been getting lots of attention, but a new verdict has eclipsed the record $1.05 billion that a jury awarded in that case -- and this time its to Carnegie Mellon University, after a jury has ruled that Marvell Technology Group should have to pay $1.17 billion for infringing a single claim in each of two patents.

● The Problems Of Patent Trolls Continuing To Get Mainstream Attention

There's been a recent uptick in stories about patent trolling getting mainstream media attention, and the latest example is a recent segment on CBS's national morning program, CBS This Morning, which explored how patent trolls are hurting the US economy, mainly by focusing on the story of Uniloc suing the maker of X-plane. When we last wrote about that lawsuit, X-plane developer Laminer Research wasn't sure if it was going to fight the lawsuit, but as you can see in the video above, Laminer's Austin Meyer has decided he's going to fight the case no matter what -- even if it costs him $1.5 million (way more than it would cost to settle). Of course, this is how the trolls operate, by trying to make it cheaper to settle than to fight, but sometimes people have to take a stand and Meyer has decided to do exactly that.

● Patent Trolls Now Make Up More Than Half Of All Patent Lawsuits

● No, Making Patent Trolls Pay Up For Bogus Lawsuits Does Not Violate International Agreements