Patent Attorney Offers $5k For Identity Of Anonymous Patent Troll Tracker
from the getting-under-people's-skin-apparently... dept
A few months back, we discovered the blog of an anonymous IP lawyer called The Patent Troll Tracker. It had great info, and you've probably noticed that we're now linking to stories from that site on a fairly regular basis. Sometime before we became aware of the site however, the Troll Tracker got into a little scuffle with a bigshot patent attorney, Raymond Niro of the law firm Niro, Scavone. The Mises Institute has a recap of the situation, but basically the Troll Tracker had mentioned Niro in a way that Niro felt was unflattering, and Niro asked the Troll Tracker to identify himself -- not, apparently, for a defamation charge, but for patent infringement. How could a blog post (unflattering or not) be considered patent infringement? Apparently, the patent in question, owned by Acacia (who, you may recall is considered the worst patent system offender by the EFF), can be interpreted to mean that posting a JPG image to your site is infringement. It also happens that Niro is the patent attorney who has filed some of Acacia's patent infringement lawsuits, including against the Green Bay Packers for violating this same patent. Apparently, Niro also used the same claim of patent infringement against well-known patent critic Gregory Aharonian. It's an interesting twist on patent infringement cases to use an incredibly broad patent that covers "posting a JPEG to a website" to basically go after anyone you don't like. Somehow, I doubt that's what the founders of the patent system had in mind. Hell, I'd guess that it's not what anyone who had any part in writing patent laws had in mind.
Of course, Niro has run into something of a problem in trying to sue the anonymous Troll Tracker. It's that anonymity bit. So, apparently, he's now put out a $5,000 bounty to anyone who can identify the Troll Tracker. Law.com has more details on this as well as some other odd moves by Niro. Who knows if he will actually sue (though, the earlier stories suggest it's not out of the realm of possibility), but it's stunning that a bigshot patent attorney would be so afraid of an anonymous critic of patent system misuse that he not only would threaten him with patent infringement claims on such an incredibly broad patent, but also is willing to put up $5,000 just to find out the guy's identity. Yes, this is what our patent system has been reduced to. Thomas Jefferson is rolling in his grave.
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by Bob on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 5:06pm
This sickens me. On so many levels. Whoever gives away the identity of the anonymous person will be betraying "the intarwebtubes".
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Trouble is... by Eric the Grey on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 5:13pm
unless the Patent Troll has changed his image formats, he is not violating the above mentioned patent. Of the two images showing on his blog at this moment, one is a GIF, and the other is a PNG.
EtG
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by Anonymous Poster on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 5:37pm
Dear Raymond Niro:
Stop being such a colossal failure at both being an attorney and being a human being.
If you continue to be a failure, we will all laugh at you and make fun of you.
Sincerely,
Another anonymous poster on the Internets
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by Anonymous Coward on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 5:37pm
What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent article were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this thread is now dumber for having read it. I award you no credit, and may God have mercy on your soul.
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Crapflood this clown. by GeneralEmergency on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 6:02pm
Let me be the first.
I am the Patent Troll Tracker.
Next?
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Re: Crapflood this clown. by Patent Troll Tracker on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 6:22pm
No. I am the Patent Troll Tracker.
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Re: by What? on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 6:26pm
You can read?
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by French Guard on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 6:47pm
Niro,
I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
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by Puzzled Anonymous Coward on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 6:52pm
Please tell us how the article is rambling and incoherent or don't criticize.
Your opinions without any sort of evidence is worth squat.
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by No Puzzled on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 7:18pm
Got watch Billy Madison and all will be revealed...
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Wrong Target? by Travis on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 7:23pm
The only problem is ... the US Patent Office also uses .JPG's as a part of their layout. Perhaps if they sued the patent office itself, someone would reform this silly process of patent squandering?
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LIARS!!!!! by Mickey Finn on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 7:33pm
I am the REAL patent troll tracker, all others are imposters!
M. Finn
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by Anonymous Coward on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 7:40pm
Correction:
I am the Patent Troll Tracker.
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by The Patent Troll Tracker on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 8:02pm
Hey guys, what's going on in here?
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by The REAL Patent Troll Tracker on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 8:36pm
Pay no attention to the man behind the internet anonymity!! I am the great and powerful Patent Troll Tracker, mighty Niros quake at my every move!!!
Behold my works, ye mighty, and despair...but do not copy, reproduce or in any way utilize my likeness, words, thoughts, posts, concepts, ideas, or the letters comprising any representation of any of the above or the file formats used or the internet. Or anything.
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Re: Re: Crapflood this clown. by Spartacus on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 9:42pm
No, I am the Patent Troll Tracker.
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um... by Anonymous Coward on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 9:45pm
Wouldn't putting a jpeg (or any other format, for that matter) on your site fall under, I dunno, COMMEN KNOWLEDGE!
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Re: by you on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 9:49pm
Niro, stop bashing Mike.
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by Anonymous Coward on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 9:56pm
As I understand patent law, if you do not enforce a patent, its very existance can be challanged and the USPTO can make it expire...
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Re: by Mike on Dec 5th, 2007 @ 10:28pm
As I understand patent law, if you do not enforce a patent, its very existance can be challanged and the USPTO can make it expire...
You understand patent law incorrectly. That's true of trademark (in certain situations), not patents.
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Web 2.0 generates Electricity 2.0 ! by Shohat on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 1:11am
Quik, someone wrap some copper wire around Thomas Jefferson !
On a side note, I am Patent Troll Tracker,
I can has phive thousand dollarz ?
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Rewarding customer betrayal by Ralph on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 1:17am
What if the MPAAs, RIAAs and perhaps oppressive governmental institutions of this world were to start offering internet providers and universities a cut of the settlements and 'damage' sums from users, in return for the personal information needed to threaten and sue? Providers could first check, which data are likely to generate them a high enough extra profit (does it outweigh the risk of being countersued?) and then only pass on the high-level cases. And once they've become good at it - what is to stop them from reporting breaches of Imaginary Property Rights proactively? This should easily compensate for the costs of their data retention.
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No I'm Spartacus by Chronno S. Trigger on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 4:22am
Would the real Patent Troll Tracker
please stand up,
please stand up,
please stand up...
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Retards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by angry dude on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 6:48am
Hey, techdirt imbeciles
You are even worse than slashbotters
Complete idiocy here
Fun to read though
Thanks Mike
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Re #23, Chronno by Killer_Tofu on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 7:10am
*stands up*
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Re: Retards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Brian on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 11:38am
Funny...you do nothing but provide complete idiocy on this blog on a regular basis. Angry Dude = imbecile. Go somewhere else if you don't like it here...geez.
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Re: Crapflood this clown. by yet another troll tracker on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 1:39pm
No, I am Spartacus!
I mean, Troll Tracker!
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Re: by Sheesh on Dec 6th, 2007 @ 2:03pm
This is a quote from the Adam Sandler movie Billy Madison and probably should not be taken seriously. Sheesh.
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A lot of hostility over 5k bounty by windycityip.com on Dec 8th, 2007 @ 10:43am
Wow! I didn't realize the fire that this case has caused. I recently read about it on Patently-O. On a side note, and much more important topic, Billy Madison is the bomb.
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Patent trolling by anon on Feb 3rd, 2008 @ 9:38am
Patent this: ()*()
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