There is of course an easy solution to patent trolls. All patents should be issued for a fixed period of time, say for instance five years, during which time the patent holder must come up with a working prototype or proof of concept. a real "thing" not words on a piece of paper! If they cannot do this, they lose the patent. This would allow others in the same field to have a go. The problem with the trolls is that they are mostly patent attorneys, or employers of patent attorneys, and they word each of their "patents"in such a manner as to cover all possible inventions, concepts and ideas in that area, and they have the legal and financial clout to put any challenger into bancruptcy on the first day of any hearing. In doing this, they poison the well of creativity and innovation in that area, and if anyone does come up with something that works, they can use their heavies to prove that they have it already patented, and steal the research and the idea. Of course Governments patent departments should not issue patents to these crooks, but most patent departments are staffed by.........patent attorneys. I was quoted £800 by one of these "gentlemen" for answering a letter!!!
My advise is this, if you have an idea, keep quiet, don't patent, go straight to market with it, make some money, and create "prior art" which stops the trolls. Accept that the Indians and the Chinese will copy it anyway. A close friend of mine came up with something I will call a "unique computerised transport solution" for bus companies and deliveries. He gave it to a major european bus manufacturer for evaluation after they had spent £15,000 on patenting it. The bus company changed the CPU chip, broke the patent, stole the idea and Bankrupted my friends company. Their reply was "So go ahead and sue us, believe me, you can't afford it". That is exactly how the trolls work and they need to be legislated out of business. Innovation and invention will (has!) cease until they are stopped. They are cheating the system.
