What we need is a big party willing to defend all the small parties.
How about some sort of patent troll insurance that takes over your defense and sues to invalidate the patent? The insurance should cost a smaller amount of money than settlement would cost. The more companies have that insurance, the bigger the defense you can mount, and the lower the costs for everybody are.
The first person sued by the troll immediately takes it to court and wins, invalidating the patent, and ensuring that only one lawsuit will have to be fought and everybody else is safe.
Of course this could mean that a lot of people feel they don't need the insurance because someone else will invalidate the patent for them, but if the list of people and companies protected by this insurance is public, those without it will be the first to be sued. So eventually, everybody will want this insurance, and the trolls will be forced to take it to court every time.
How about some sort of patent troll insurance that takes over your defense and sues to invalidate the patent? The insurance should cost a smaller amount of money than settlement would cost. The more companies have that insurance, the bigger the defense you can mount, and the lower the costs for everybody are.
The first person sued by the troll immediately takes it to court and wins, invalidating the patent, and ensuring that only one lawsuit will have to be fought and everybody else is safe.
Of course this could mean that a lot of people feel they don't need the insurance because someone else will invalidate the patent for them, but if the list of people and companies protected by this insurance is public, those without it will be the first to be sued. So eventually, everybody will want this insurance, and the trolls will be forced to take it to court every time.
There's got to be a business model in this.