????波士頓大學法學院（Boston University's School of Law）的詹姆斯?貝森與邁克爾?莫伊雷爾近期的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn),，去年一年,，專利流氓訴訟給被告方造成的“直接損失”就高達290億美元。而這才只是律師費和專利許可費兩部分費用的合計,。

????研究報告稱：“這一數字還不包括對被告公司造成的間接成本,，如轉移資源、新產品發(fā)布推遲,，以及市場份額流失等,。”研究人員稱,，即便如此,，僅直接損失一項就“給創(chuàng)新投資增加了沉重的負擔”。

????所謂“專利流氓”是指那些擁有創(chuàng)新技術知識產權,，自身卻并不進行創(chuàng)新的所謂“非執(zhí)業(yè)實體”（NPE）,。他們購買專利的目的就是為了起訴專利侵權者。

????研究顯示,，去年專利訴訟案件多達5,842起,，涉及公司多達1,150家，其中多半公司在當年的收入都不足1億美元,，由此可見,，專利流氓的目標并不是只有大公司。

????眾多專利流氓公司中最著名的是高智發(fā)明公司（Intellectual Ventures）,。本月早些時候,，在All Things D大會上，科技記者沃爾特?莫斯伯格對這家公司的創(chuàng)始人內森?梅爾沃德進行了45分鐘的采訪,。梅爾沃德在為自己公司的所作所為辯解時坦承,，自己“上學的時候就是個不招人喜歡的孩子?！?/p>

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????Patent trolls last year cost defendants $29 billion in "direct costs", according to astudy by James Bessen and Michael Meurer of Boston University's School of Law. But that's only the beginning -- accounting just for legal fees and licensing.

????"This figure does not include indirect costs to the defendants' businesses, such as diversion of resources, delays in new products, and loss of market share," the study asserts. Even so, the direct costs alone "effectively impose a significant tax on investment in innovation" the authors say.

????Patent trolls are entities that own the intellectual rights to innovations without innovating anything themselves -- so-called "non-practicing entities." They buy patents in order to sue infringers.

????The study determined that 1,150 companies defended themselves against 5,842 lawsuits last year. About half of those companies earned less than $100 million during the year, showing that "NPEs are not just a problem for large firms," according to the authors.

????One of the best-known trolls is Intellectual Ventures. That company's founder, Nathan Myhrvold, was interviewed earlier this month by tech journalist Walt Mossberg at the All Things D conference. In defending his company's practice during the 45-minute discussion, he noted that he "was never the popular kid in class."