Rackspace is a lawsuit started against a ‘patenttrol’, which, in turn, Rackspace has sued. The ‘troll’, a company that only deals with the conduct of patentzaken, according to Rackspace unfair acted.
‘Patenttrollen’ are companies that are only engaged in the conduct of patentrechtzaken, and shapes according to the critics, especially in the United States is a problem, especially for smaller businesses and start-ups that typically don’t have enough money for hardened cases. In this case the IP Navigation Group, according to Rackspace, one of the most notorious ‘trolls’.
The company in question took in 2010 was already in contact with Rackspace, via a tussenpartij, in command of the company Parallel Iron. According to Rackspace is Parallel Iron an ’empty shell’ only patents. Rackspace would be the patents of Parallel Iron have been violated, but IP Nav did not specify which patents were or how many patents it would go, unless Rackspace a contract would be where the promised IP Nav, or Parallel Iron, do not complain.
“They were probably afraid that we a trial would start when we saw what the patents were”, writes the head of legal affairs of Rackspace, Alan Schoenbaum, in a blog. IP Nav refused even the company name of Parallel Iron to name a few. Rackspace wanted the contract not sign, then an alternative contract was signed, in which the two companies promised 30 days in advance to notify if one of the two a lawsuit would start.
Last week started IP Nav and Parallel Iron without a word in advance, however, a patentzaak against Rackspace and eleven other unnamed companies. “That we pick up are not,” said the head of legal affairs. The company has both IP Nav when Parallel Iron sued, because they have the contract broken. “Patenttrols pose a serious threat to businesses and innovation”, writes Schoenbaum.