Patent Assertion Entities

This essay deals with the phenomenon of patent assertion entities (a.k.a. PAE), that is to say firms whose main or exclusive business is the enforcement of patents against (potential or actual) infringers. PAE are considered an element of degeneration in the market for technology, particularly in some areas of the world. But from a legal stand point defining a PAE is all but easy and from a regulatory point of view such difficulty might entail false positives. The essay discusses the issue of definition of PAE and possibile solutions to curbe the market from abusive behaviors.