Patent trolls' next target: Independent developers

[Renew Deal]

It's bad enough when a company that has never invented much of anything buys a patent and then sues a giant like RIM or Microsoft for allegedly violating its intellectual property rights. But an obscure, Marshall, Texas, firm named Lodys is going after independent iOS developers, threatening to sue them if they don't start paying royalties for using Apple's in-app purchasing system.

For a while it looked like the developers were faced with the ugly dilemma of yielding to a bully or spending huge amounts of money to defend themselves in a handpicked federal court. But Apple this week intervened on the side of its developers, warning that it's "fully prepared" to defend its license rights.

There's a word that describes companies like Lodsys, but I won't use it because I'd hate to involve myself or InfoWorld in a potential lawsuit over defamation. But we all know there are companies that buy patents and do nothing with them until they suddenly pop up with a claim that someone who is actually using related IP is violating their rights and had better pay.

Our patent system is enshrined in the Constitution and was designed to foster and protect innovation. But despite numerous, well-publicized examples of abuse, the system remains broken. I suspect Apple's intervention will scare off Lodsys. But this incident underlines the problem and is why anyone who works for a small company or hopes to strike out on their own as a developer has a stake in reform.
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http://www.infoworld.com/d/the-industry-standard/patent-trolls-next-target-independent-developers-214

These guys are second cousins of Righthaven and just as filthy.