The decision to use the MIT License is not without its critics [LWN.net]

The decision to use the MIT License is not without its critics

Posted Jun 16, 2021 8:58 UTC (Wed) by Wol (subscriber, #4433)
In reply to: The decision to use the MIT License is not without its critics by khim
Parent article: Rewriting the GNU Coreutils in Rust

> > Same here. Difference is, trying to sue your opponent into bankruptcy (popular with deep-pocketed Americans) is likely to end with you suing *yourself* into bankruptcy.

> Oh, don't worry, that art would come to other parts of the world, surely. It's not even that hard: just sell your patent portfolio to dozen of pure trolls which can be bankrupted safely and see how many rounds of litigation the target firm would sustain.

Unless it wouldn't ...

> You don't even need to actually coordinate lawsuits (and be accused of doing shady acts), just sell hundred patents to hundred patent trolls with list of companies which are infringing and make sure your target is there in top10.

And I wouldn't bother suing the patent troll for costs. At the slightest HINT of what you suggest, I'd go for the troll's directors and sue THEM. PERSONALLY.

Yup, it might prove expensive defending the first couple of lawsuits. But I doubt I'd have many trolls willing to put their personal wealth on the line ...

(I think "piercing the veil" with a patent troll company wouldn't be that hard.)

Cheers,
Wol

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The decision to use the MIT License is not without its critics

Posted Jun 16, 2021 10:05 UTC (Wed) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

> And I wouldn't bother suing the patent troll for costs. At the slightest HINT of what you suggest, I'd go for the troll's directors and sue THEM. PERSONALLY.

So you would sue someone who's work is, quite literally, to be sued? Big deal.

The actual guys behind the whole thing would laugh all the way to bank.

> (I think "piercing the veil" with a patent troll company wouldn't be that hard.)

Have you ever tried to do this? Sigh. I wish you will read the The Little Golden Calf. Then you would know who Sitz-Chairman Funt is. Actual wikiquote may just be enough:

Sitz-Chairman (зиц-председатель, zits-predsedatel), a strawman chairman. The Horns and Hoofs was headed by Sitz-Chairman Funt. The title is a bilingual Russian-Yiddish pun. The Yiddish word "sitzen" means "to sit", which in Russian connotes "doing time". Also "Sitz" has legal meanings similar to the English "seat". The sole function of a Sitz-Chairman was to do prison time when (not "if"!) the time comes (Compare Sitz-redakteur, a person hired by a 19th century German newspaper for the same purpose).

Note the last phrase. It all was invented in good old Europe and, don't worry, it will be back sooner or later.