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US: Is patent troll study in the future?

By  |  April 25, 2013

While Federal Trade Commissioner Joshua Wright has tended to shy away from encouraging the use of antitrust law to address the issue of so-called patent trolls, recent remarks may suggest his support for a study on how patent trolls affect competition. The remarks, made at a seminar hosted by the Dechert law firm on April 17, centered on Wright’s acknowledgement for the need of more information on the effects of those trolls, which buy up the rights to patents and have been accused of hampering competition by suing those who use those patents or by acquiring licensing fees. Those trolls are especially controversial as many are not involved in the process of manufacturing products for which a patent is generated. While Wright said the FTC is in a position to contribute to the conversation, he noted that the topic risks misinterpretation as possible explanations can land on antitrust law for a quick solution. The FTC joined with the US Department of Justice last December to hold a workshop discussing the effects of patent trolls.

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