IP Watchdog – June 2025
The term “patent troll” has become ubiquitous in the IP world since it was first coined at Intel in the late 1990s. There is no single definition of what it means but it is always used pejoratively and is most frequently deployed against non-practicing entities (NPEs).
NPEs do not manufacture patented products. Instead, they derive economic value from IP sales, licensing or other monetization activities. In recent years, there has been a deliberate and partially successful effort to conflate NPEs with patent trolls. However, to do this is disingenuous at best, dishonest at worst.
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