After the case I discussed in my last video blog about Life360, the CEO Chris Hulls published an op-ed advising other companies on how to respond to similar patent threats. His advising’s were published on TechCrunch in an article called “I beat a Patent Troll and You Can Too.” Link here: http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/23/i-beat-a-patent-troll-and-you-can-too/
He
gave the following 3 suggestions in his article:
1.
Go Nuclear- Refused to play by the rules. He writes that trolls and law
firms “hate being called out. ” So call them out!! “They expect that you’ll
listen to your lawyers, stay quiet, and pay them to go away. We refused AGIS
Inc. and its lawyers…Throughout our battle, we frequently publicized their role
in the case with various influencers and media and it really got them. ” Do
what the lawyers would not expect! Break the rules and go public!
2.
Share
Information- Life360 has open-sourced the prior art it found on AGIS’ patents.
Also, Life360 offered free legal support ro any other startups AGIS might sue.
He explained that “moves like that send a strong signal that if you sue us, we
will not only stick up for ourselves, but make it harder for you to sue others”.
3.
Go with your gut
and commit to it- Be Strong and don’t settle for the case! If you know you are
right, then keep fighting and stay committed. He explains that “This is about
right and wrong, and that will help you sleep better at night…Always remember
you are fighting the good fight and while that may sound cheesy, but its really
important when things get hard. ”
Overall, he explains that it
is possible to beat a troll! You just need to go nuclear, share information,
and most importantly stay committed!
I also saw this article and thought it was interesting. He took a really aggressive approach and it paid off for him- I think it's really cool that he then offered so much support to other companies being targeted by this troll. However, I wonder if there are any down sides to this strategy- it's so out there, I wonder if it ever backfires.
ReplyDeleteHi Vruti,
ReplyDeleteI saw this article on TechCrunch too and I thought it was a really fantastic piece. Essentially, the author makes the point that court doesn't need to be your only route to defeat a patent troll. By consolidating efforts within the industry and smearing the troll, a solid defense can be built against these NPEs. My only issue is that there is only such much you can do in terms of non-traditional retaliation against these trolls and Mr. Hulls was quite lucky. I think federal law needs to be continually amended to defend these companies because there is a limit that these private companies can go to to defend their products.
Like the others, I also saw this article and thought it was a great relation to all we currently know about patent trolls! From what I've researched, I think this article is pretty well-cited and known in the patent community. I think you did a great job in both summarizing the article thoroughly and then gave your own analysis and input on what Mr. Hulls said. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Vruti,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed both your previous blog post and this one. Chris Hulls seems like a brave man that took an unconventional path to solve the problem of patent trolls and it paid off for him. I think your piece was very informative and concise. Great job! Unlike the others, I haven't read the article but definitely will now!
Hey Vruti,
ReplyDeleteNice job on your blog post! I could really tell that you thoroughly researched and put thought into this post. I actually learned a lot and appreciate your effort. Keep up with the great work
Hey Vruti,
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your video and blog post! I thought this post is really interesting and definitely useful for those who are targeted by NPEs. Great work!