Outspoken billionaire Mark Cuban is not happy with the current state of the American patent system, and he is speaking out against its current state.
In an interview with TechCrunch , Cuban says the current patent system is full of “dumb*ss patents [that] are crushing small businesses.”
Mark Cuban feels so passionate about his patent fight that he has teamed up with the Electronic Frontier Foundation to “eliminate stupid patents” that leave companies shelling out millions of dollars for the right to use basic technology advances.
According to Cuban, he is simply trying to “get the message to politicians that patent trolls are costing taxpayers … and small businesses money that could otherwise be used for innovation and creating jobs.”
Cuban specifically attacks software patents, which he believes should be ended all together or given far shorter shelf life.
In an attempt to end patenting trolling, the process in which a company registers patents only for the purpose of licensing them at a later time, Cuban argues “all patents [should be required to] be used in a business within five years or otherwise become public domain.”
This is not the first time Mark Cuban has voiced his hatred of the American patent system. On his popular TV series, Shark Tank , Cuban yelled at the owner of a wearable tech company who patented the idea of running audio cables and other wires through articles of clothing.
Cuban is joined in his fight by many software companies, federal judges, and other industry types who also feel the software patent system has failed American businesses.