WE recently explained that Apple and Microsoft were helping trolls and preventing patent reform in the United State. Intellectual Ventures, the world's largest patent troll (funded in part by Microsoft and Bill Gates) was having financial difficulties, so guess who's stepping in to the rescue, essentially subsidising trolling? Intellectual Ventures is said to have "persuaded Microsoft and Sony to invest in its latest acquisition fund" (of patents). Once again, as in Rockstar, Microsoft and Sony align in patent agenda and as Masnick puts it, "while many of the companies have indeed avoided giving IV any more money, it appears that Microsoft and Sony were quite happy to dump a lot more cash into IV, which has now ramped up its patent buying efforts again (as well as its lobbying and political contributions in an effort to kill off patent reform). Microsoft, of course, has always been close to IV, seeing as it was started by the company's former CTO, Nathan Myhrvold, who is also a close friend of Bill Gates (who has directly helped IV get some patents). Similarly, Microsoft has become one of the most aggressive patent abusers over the last decade, increasingly relying on its stock of patents to make money from other people's innovations, rather than innovating on its own."

"This is racketeering by proxy."Masnick correctly concludes that "via Intellectual Ventures and its own patent holdings, Microsoft seems to be trying to make sure Gates' prediction is a reality. It all fits in to the same paradigm we've observed for years. When you're young, you innovate. When you're old, you litigate. Microsoft appears to have given up on innovation, but is ramping up on litigation, and re-investing in patent trolling via Intellectual Ventures is merely the latest step."

This is racketeering by proxy. It's part of the patent-stacking strategy which includes even Nokia and Apple. Bill Gates, which is a close partner of the world's largest troll, has a lot to do with it. In a system where billionaires enjoy zero accountability jails are reserved only for petty 'crimes'. ⬆