Pretty fair and objective article. The reporter does a pretty good job of showing the other side of the "patent troll" debate. In particular, it's nice to see a legitimate media source feature the company on its front page.
While the editor's title was poorly chosen in my opinion only perpetuating the "troll" myth that the reporter worked hard to dispel, (editors are responsible for the title, not the reporters), it's really a nice piece that definitely introduces the company to a lot of people who probably never had heard of them prior.
Here are a few noteworthy outtakes since it may not legally be reproduced in its entirety absent permission.
(Doug Croxall loves a good underdog story, especially when the little guy wins)
(That's why as chief executive officer of West LA's Marathon Patent Group Inc. Croxall picks fights with large corporations on behalf of inventors and entrepreneurs, claiming patent infringement and demanding payment.)
("Many companies despise what we do, but so many inventors are glad we do it," he said. "Even though it's not popular, I love what I do.")
(Marathon's business model, like that of other patent-monetization companies, centers on acquiring patent rights from inventors and suing companies that could be making, using or selling products or services that in some way rely on patent-protected materials)
(Still, Latimore, the stock analyst, is confident Marathon is poised to continue growing despite the uncertainty that comes with regulation- and, of course, litigation. It's biggest asset, he said, is that it owns patents in very diverse industries, including health care, automotive and wireless communications, to name a few. "From an investment standpoint, it's good to have diversity so it's not all about one patent," he said. "If it doesn't go your way and you only have a couple of patents, so much for the business model.")
(Latimore rates Marathon's stock a "buy" with a target of $11 - indicating lots of optimsism about the firm, as shares closed July 22 at $3.02.)
(Croxall admits there are certain bad actors operating in the industry, but that doesn't mean every company is out to destroy businesses. "There are bad doctors, there are bad lawyers and their are bad businessmen," Croxall said "That doesn't mean you knock out the whole medical profession because there's one bad doctor.")
