With the regulatory backlash against so-called patent trolls continuing to mount, the patent licensing company MPHJ Technology Investments LLC took matters into its own hands on Monday, bringing a First Amendment case against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The very next day, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced what he called a “groundbreaking” settlement with MPHJ, hailing the deal as a warning to similar companies.
As Joe Mullin of Ars Technica reported, MPHJ lodged a declaratory judgment suit on Monday against the FTC in U.S. district court in Waco, Texas, MPHJ’s home turf. The suit was filed by Farney Daniels, the small Texas law firm that’s represented MPHJ in its controversial patent enforcement campaign.
