Patent Trolling by Foreign Powers Threatens American Industry

Paul Collier February 15, 2022 2 minutes read

I have been telling our readers for quite some time that the fundamental battle between those who control and those who wish to be free is over intellectual property and how control of information and use of technology could determine if the human future is a new serfdom or a new level of liberty for the vast majority of people in these lands. One path is covered with lawsuits and expensive lawyers trained to turn a parsed sentence in a white paper into a loss of an idea that someone truly did create. That path chokes off technological development and contains it behind paywalls, offering you nothing but subscription services to meet all our needs and desires.

That path leads to total control, a social credit score that could determine if you can even rent a car (for no one, if they have their way, will own cars in the future).

The oppressive nature of excessive intellectual property laws can be seen in how patent trolling is still rising in America, costing industry millions and leaving patent ownership to the most powerful among us almost exclusively.

The other path, open source technology, leads to the empowering of individuals and free associations to equip themselves to meet their own sustainably flourishing needs.

New Data Shows Tech Patent Troll Cases Are Rising At USITC

From www.forbes.com
2022-02-09 13:42:26

Excerpt:

Section 337 of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, meant to protect the US against unfair trade and … [+] illegal imports, is weaponized today by foreign non practicing entities or patent trolls. From Left,Rep. Willis C. Hawley, Senator Reed Smoot.

With supply chain shortages, the global race to 5G, and the need to ensure the US leads in information technology, the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has an important role to play. Indeed, the agency has experienced a record number of requests for fact-finding reports from Congress, and lawmakers of both parties and houses have praised the agency for valuable reports on topics like the effect of Covid-19 on supply chains. However, not all activity at the USITC is desirable. Sadly, the agency has become a hotbed for patent trolling, and USITC commissioners are driving the trend by allowing a robust stream of abusive section 337…