Grumpy Ol' WiFi Patent Troll Slinks Out From Under Bridge

Patent trolls are always out to force money out of people and companies for vague patents that they can claim extend to common and widely used features in the tech world. The latest of these patent trolls has surfaced and is called Innovatio IP. This company is claiming that a patent it holds covers just about all forms of WiFi implementations. It is starting out by suing places that have WiFi hotspots inside.

The companies that it has sued so far include coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels. Specific companies include the likes of some Marriott hotels, Best Western locations, and Caribou Coffee. The lawyers are offering to let these companies and others that it has sued settle for $2,300 to $5,000. I wish patent trolls had to fork over whatever the amount they are looking to get in the suit to the people they sue if the troll loses.

The implication is that even an end user at home with a WiFi network may be infringing on the patent Innovatio IP holds. I hope a judge on one of these cases beats Innovatio down so hard that the person behind the suit at the so-called company gets a ruptured sphincter as their spleen exits the anus. There is some tech might behind the battle against Doucheovatio though, Motorola and Cisco have both gone to court to ask for a declaratory judgment that their WiFi gear doesn't infringe on the patent.

[via TechDirt]