Microsoft VP explains why company fights patent trolls
(Windows Phone Central)

Patent trolls rely on isolated targets giving up, which is why industry heavyweights are banding together. What you need to know Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), sometimes dubbed `patent trolls,` hit companies with patent infringement lawsuits. These lawsuits can often be of a dubious nature, but many times result in a win for the PAEs simply because the price of shutting down the trolls in court is costlier than paying the blackmail amount. Big companies such as Microsoft have joined the fight against patent trolls to safeguard the open-source realm. Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) are sometimes called `patent trolls` because their schtick is filing questionable lawsuits against companies in the hopes that their claims will score them easy money. Never mind the fact that often the patents being used to prop up the lawsuits in question aren`t legitimate ammo for whatever legal claims are being asserted. The point is, the legal system often costs more upfront than blackmail, so...