Apparently a patent troll is going after companies that use Scan to PDF features of scanners. Xerox and Ricoh and going to dispute the patent. My take, I am OK with patents, but they have a couple of issues. One is patent trolls that don’t really “use” the patent, just wait for others to use it and then sue like crazy after the tech has been entrenched. The other is the high cost for individual’s to get a patent. I hear its around 20 grand now to file by the time you are done with legal fees. That puts getting a patent out of the reach of most individuals and small companies. So only the big companies (and trolls) can afford it. One of the points of a patent is to protect the little guy.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-