This country really, really, really needs to deal with patent trolls.
https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2019/02/22/apple-north-texas-patent-trolls.html
Apple is closing two stores that are physically located within the boundaries of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. A store will be open in an area geographically close to the Eastern District, but within the boundaries of the Northern District.
By removing an corporate presence in the Eastern District, they will thwart patent trolls lawsuit in the Eastern District, a venue notoriously friendly to civil patent plaintiffs, whether they be legitimate plaintiffs or trolls.
But it is pathetic that companies are forced to abandon markets because of these worthless entities called patent trolls, that ironically can ONLY exist because of government patent law.
A law is needed that would require that a company actually be USING patents or be actively developing products or services using said patents, before they would be allowed to sue to enforce patents. A company that buys patents, but does not use them productively, should be barred from enforcing patents. Patent troll firms are composed of lawyers for the most part, whose sole purpose is to acquire patents and then search for infringements and shake down firms for money.
Many promising startup companies have been wrecked or utterly destroyed by patent trolls.
Something needs to be done to shut these damaging entities down.
When a company like Apple is forced out of an area to try to protect itself, that is prima facie evidence patent trolls are out of control.