patent troll

noun
/ˈpætənt ˌtɹəʊl/UK/ˈpætənt ˌtɹoʊl/US

Etymology

From patent + troll (“in folklore, a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills, or under bridges”), a reference to trolls in folktales who block the path of travellers or threaten to harm them unless some payment is made.

Definitions

  1. A company, person, etc., that owns and enforces patents in an aggressive and…

    A company, person, etc., that owns and enforces patents in an aggressive and opportunistic manner, often with no intention of producing, marketing, or promoting the subjects of the patents.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for patent troll. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA