• X-Plane Founder Request Help In Fighting Patent Trolls

    by
    Nels_Anderson
    Published on 01-03-2013 12:29 PM
    3 Comments

    EDIT THIS LETTER AS YOU LIKE AND SEND IT TO YOUR CONGRESSMAN IF YOU AGREE WITH IT.

    Thanks!

    Austin Meyer
    www.x-plane.com

     

    Google the term "Patent Troll".

    What do you find?

    In this country, companies that deliver NO goods or services of ANY sort commonly file ludicrous patents that describe "inventions" that have actually been in common use for many years. The trademark and patent offices commonly approves these patents, even though they clearly describe ideas that are already in common use and have been for years.

    Once the patent-trolling company has obtained their ridiculous, often-vague, and clearly invalid patent (due to its being pre-dated by countless earlier invention), it then proceeds to sue anyone that attempts to run their business in a manner that may in some ways be similar to the ridiculous patent that it holds.

    Defense of these frivolous lawsuits run about two million dollars and two years for a SMALL company. This tremendous defense cost causes almost all of the small businesses that are sued to settle with the Patent Troll, and their ability to run a small business, or innovate, are destroyed in the process.

    As with many frivolous lawsuits, this is simply legalized extortion, and the damage to our country from its ongoing practice is in-estimable (though the direct dollar-cost to defendants is estimated at 500 BILLION dollars per year).

    The SHIELD act may help to alleviate this problem by forcing Patent Trolls to pay the defense cost of the people they are suing, and you should vote for it. A more comprehensive solution would be for those who file frivolous lawsuits to ALWAYS pay the defense costs of the other side, and for juries to be made not of random people with NO expertise in the subject matter of the trial, but instead of people that ARE knowledgeable and expert in the material relevant to each civil trial in this country.

    Look here to see the story of an individual innovator in this country:

    http://www.x-plane.com/x-world/lawsuit/

    ...and there are may more cases like this as well.

     

    Need help in contacting your members of Congress? This web site lets you look up all the necessary information:

    http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

    Don't have X-Plane 10 yet? Purchase your copy here.

    1. Categories:
    2. 2013,
    3. X-Plane
    3 Comments
    1. af11704846's Avatar
      af11704846 - 01-03-2013, 03:48 PM
      Pray and seek GOD's advice while preparing to maybe reduce your assets! I'm in a law suit now and its been 3+ years and we are preparing for the worst only because of the lop sided court systems that honest people have to deal with!
      Prayers and Blessings
    1. ftldave's Avatar
      ftldave - 01-03-2013, 04:26 PM
      "... juries to be made not of random people ..."

      I don't think trying to change the way trial juries are selected is going to help this cause at all. Too radical, and way too many possibilities for abuse by either side. Austin lost me on that part of his request for help. The SHIELD act won't have a chance if that's going to be part of the proposed legislation.
    1. ceo1944's Avatar
      ceo1944 - 01-04-2013, 09:24 AM
      I agree the plea for expert juries is unrealistic and unconstitutional. But it's obvious that Austin is emotionally involved as any of us would be faced with such a scary and unjust action.

      The main point that these patent troll companies are unproductive, unhelpful and destructive is absolutely correct and the damage they do goes far beyond a small company like Laminar. It's predatory capitalism at its very worst and we should all oppose it strongly.