Week 12 Blog #4: My Expectations for Change in the Patent Industry As I Become a Professional

One issue that this course has gotten me passionate about is the role of trolls in the American economic system. Patents drive business, they are the lifeblood of companies ranging from multinational corporations to small start-ups in the garages and basements of individuals. As a burgeoning entrepreneur, the one entity that truly frightens me in my quest to create are patent trolls. A company that exists solely to take advantage of the innovation conducted by other companies should be an entity that is deemed illegal by our justice system. Unfortunately, this sort of rationale is not present and smaller companies become the prey and eventual fatalities of the actions by these trolls.

My expectation with the issue of trolls is that the government continues to address their impact on not just individual companies, but on the American economy as a whole. How can companies exist when they are consistently underneath the microscope of those who seek to simply find loopholes to take advantage of them? What kind of free-market world is this where companies don't even have the opportunity to develop? The AIA Act passed in 2012 by Congress was a good first step, but there is so much more to be done in terms of litigation and dealing with patent trolls.

I am hopeful that some sort of major legislation comes out sooner than later that will reduce the effects and existence of these trolls. We have already seen progress within the federal government, only to be stalled by the lobbyists in Washington hired by these trolls, but nonetheless this is an issue that is growing in prevalence. The matter of how our legal system will deal with these trolls is not simply a curiosity of mine, but a major influence in how I will go about in terms of conducting business in my future career. I will undoubtedly keep up with the developments of this ongoing battle and fully expect that within the next year or two, we will have a stricter form of legislation designed to stimulate innovation through putting a muzzle on these trolls that have caused a countless amount of damage to thousands of individuals and companies. It is time a stand is taken against these agitators.