Bonum Certa Men Certa

The Patent Trolls Are Moving East as Patents on Software Lose Their Lustre in the United States

Migration to Europe and to the Far East?

A compass



Summary: The appeal of patent trolling in the United States has taken a hit and a lot of the litigious abuse is shifting eastwards, to places that previously didn't have such issues

AS THE EPO emulates the mistakes/errors of the USPTO by ushering in software patents and pursuing the UPC (more attractive to patent trolls) we increasingly worry that the end of an epidemic in the US won't be its end worldwide.



According to recent figures from Lex Machina (which we wrote about earlier this month), the end of software patents already contributes to the demise of patent litigation there. It's a very statistically meaningful difference and it is consistent (every month). In the words of Managing IP (MIP):

Managing IP reveals data on US district court patent case filing so far in 2016, as well as the biggest plaintiffs and defendants. Natalie Rahhal talks to patent lawyers to identify the biggest pressures on patent litigation

US patent case filing in US district courts fell in the third quarter, according to figures pulled from the Docket Navigator database. Some 1,130 cases were filed, down 13% from the 1,299 in the second quarter.

However, the third quarter was up 17% on the 965 cases filed in the first quarter. Patent case filing at the beginning of the year was subdued as a result of a rush of filing in November last year ahead of new rules requiring more disclosure in patent infringement complaints.


Well done to the US administration for improving patent policy somewhat, thereby reducing frivolous litigation and shakedowns. Good news for a change. But where does that leave the rest of the world?

"Well done to the US administration for improving patent policy somewhat, thereby reducing frivolous litigation and shakedowns."Judging by the patent trolls-funded IAM and its many new articles about China [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], it sure looks like China becomes more like the US when it comes to patent litigation. It's already rather chaotic. See this "sponsored article" (MIP was paid to publish this) about patent changes in China. It's like opportunists pursue somewhat of a boom there -- a boom in litigation. The same is true in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore, as we noted several times last month. Also see this article from IAM which says the Head of India’s top patentee wants more patent aggression. Have they learned nothing from the mistakes of the US? Korea, for a change, is at least coming to grips with the bubble of companies/entities that are just a pile of patents, based on IAM's report about a resignation. Is Korea coming to grips with the threat of patent maximalism at long last? Here is a small sort of comparison between the situation in Korea and in China: "This blog has devoted quite a bit of coverage to one of the major divisions in China’s IP policy environment – what sometimes looks like a power struggle between judicial authorities and administrative ones. An analogous situation seems to be playing out in Korea. Local media reports say the Supreme Court there has floated the idea of abolishing certain administrative procedures related to patent validity and handing over those matters to the courts, which currently only review them at second instance."

"If IAM has shifted its attention to Asia recently, it's because a lot of the ruinous action moves to Asian countries."The reason we link so much to IAM here isn't that they're accurate or objective; rather, as a matter of fact, they're pro trolls and pro litigation. It's important to know what the "other side" is saying. Speaking of IAM, this Microsoft-centric and Microsoft-powered site is now grooming Microsoft's people again, even those responsible for patent aggression and extortion against Linux.

What IAM considers to be good business sense and success we should often interpret as the very opposite. If IAM has shifted its attention to Asia recently, it's because a lot of the ruinous action moves to Asian countries.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Five (or Three) Years Without Social Control Media
Glyn Moody quit X (Twitter)
Why GNU/Linux is Growing
There's growing interest in GNU/Linux right now because people do not fancy buying a new PC just to 'upgrade' (more spying) Windows
 
Microsoft's 'Lawsuit Diplomacy' (SLAPPs Riding UK Libel Law and Piggybacking UK GDPR, Inapplicable!) Will Only Give a Worse Image to Microsofters (and Microsoft), Give Exposure to Even More Suppressed Facts and Scandals
Microsoft came to dominate some sectors because of (or owing to) crimes; Microsoft won't just go away without some more crimes.
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 19, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, April 19, 2025
Electronics in People's Bedrooms
Modern technology not only blurred the gap between "functions" of rooms
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Contingencies, GTD, and Old Computers
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: Economic Races, Charm Offensives, and USB-C Rants
Links for the day
Links 19/04/2025: "Infantilization at Big Tech" and LLM Slop Abused in Defiance of Workplace Rules/Policies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/04/2025: Palm Addiction and Real Experts
Links for the day
Egypt is Controlled by Google, Not Microsoft
Moving from Microsoft to Google is not the answer
Microsofters Say They Cannot Find a Job (That They Want) Because of Techrights, But Techrights Merely Reported on Their Behaviour
Quit pointing the finger at people who are recipients of abuse or merely mention the abuse
Free Software and Standards - Not Marketing Blitz - Needed Amid Growing Severity of Dependency on Hostile Suppliers (or Another Country's Sovereignty)
ZenDiS can be described as the "Center for Digital Sovereignty of Public Administration"
When It Comes to the Web, Google is Evil and It Destroys the Web's Integrity With LLM Slop
Even academia, which is meant to keep standards high, is being lured into LLM slop
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 18, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, April 18, 2025
Links 18/04/2025: "Fentanylware (TikTok) Exodus Continues", Chinese Weapons Allegedly in Russia Already
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Price of Games and State of Tinylog
Links for the day
Sounds Like IBM is Preparing for Mass Layoffs/Redundancies in Red Hat, Albeit in "PIP" (Performance Improvement Plan) or "Relocation" Clothing
This isn't the "old" IBM; they're applying pressure by confusion and humiliation
Gemini Links 17/04/2025: Role of Language and Back to Mutt for E-mail
Links for the day
"Sayonara" (さよなら), Microsoft
Windows had fallen below iOS in some countries
Links 18/04/2025: Layoffs at Microsoft Infosys and Qt Becoming Increasingly Proprietary (Plus Slop)
Links for the day
Google News is Dying
treating MElon's algorithmic/biased site as a source of verified news
Microsoft's Attack Dogs Have Failed. Now What?
It would be utterly foolish to assume that Microsoft has any intention of changing
All Your "Github Projects" Will be Gone One Day (Just Like Skype)
If you have code you wish to share and keep, then start learning how to do so on your own
To Understand Who's Truly Controlling You Follow the Trail of Censorship (or Self-Censorship)
Do not let media steal and steer the narrative; CoCs are not about "social justice", they're about corporate domination
Fedora Already Lost Its Soul Under IBM
Fedora used to be very strict compared to many other distros and it had attracted very bright volunteers
Microsoft is Still Attacking GNU/Linux and the Net
Microsoft bribed the government using money that did not even exist
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, April 17, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, April 17, 2025
Gemini Links 18/04/2025: Pinephone Pro and Linux is too Easy
Links for the day