Technology giants have formed a new group to protect themselves from patent trolls. Patent trolls are businesses who business model is to purchase key intellectual property then collect royalties from companies whose products depend on that intellectual property. Patent trolls seem to walk a fine line between savvy capitalist and kidnapper.
So, technology groups have created a group, Allied Security Trust, that purchases patents in the future. The Trust then sells the patents to a member after granting itself a nonexclusive usage license. To join, members pay a $250,000 fee and place $5 million in the Trust's escrow fund. If I represented a patent troll, the first thing I would do is file an antitrust complaint with the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. You can file a complaint online at http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm Keep your eyes open for this storm brewing on the horizon.
