

Patent troll claiming playlists and podcasts scores license with SanDisk - shawndumas
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/09/patent-troll-claiming-playlists-and-podcasts-scores-license-with-sandisk/

======
signed0
This American Life did a show earlier this year about this specific troll.

[http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-
archives/episode/496/w...](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-
archives/episode/496/when-patents-attack-part-two)

------
kintamanimatt
This is sadly yet another example of why I'm happy to stay in the EU and don't
want to open up shop in the US any longer. I may not be the size of SanDisk
but patent trolls chase after smaller companies too. The risk of BS from one
of these "non-trading entities" just isn't worth the upsides.

------
WildUtah
Dang it. Any big company that settles with these crooks instead of fighting
deserves to be the target of every troll under every bridge in the world.

Thanks to CBS, NBC, HowStuffWorks, EFF, and TogiNet for continuing to fight
against the insanity. Respect at least to Apple for fighting this at the
district level (though they lost and settled before appeals). Shame to the
courts that make it so hard to challenge validity of obviously fraudulent
patents before a jury.

~~~
rpedroso
The article points out that SanDisk's Sansa MP3 player accounted for < 2% of
the company's bottom line in 2010. If Apple, for whom music players account
for much more revenue, could lose a lawsuit against Personal Audio LLC, then
it would be financially silly for SanDisk to go to court over its relatively
small product.

While I'd like the diminished of the patent-legislation business model, it's
hardly fair to blame companies for folding to these tactics. They're victims,
much like the consumers who end up paying higher prices as a result.

------
icecreampain
The Chinese, bless their hard-working hearts, know exactly how to handle
patent trolls: by taking away their power.

Unfortunately the US patent system involves so much lobbying money that the
chances of it being reformed is exactly zero.

