The cost of patent licensing, estimated at up to 50 US$ per digital TV receiver, has prompted complaints by manufacturers.

Overall, Tumbleweed earns about 6% of its revenue from patent licensing.

Of course, patent litigation, patent licensing, and patent trolling are nothing new.

Revenue from patent licensing constitutes about 2 percent of universities' research budgets, he estimated, and most of that comes from biotechnology patents.

The Supreme Court has specifically upheld the legitimacy of field-of-use limitations in patent licensing.

In 2006, market conditions forced Wi-LAN to change its focus for some time on patent licensing.

The term has also been used outside of copyright law to refer to a similar plan for patent licensing.

The buzz words are technology transfer, and the means include liberalized patent licensing and new kinds of cooperative research with industry.

Microsoft, the main contributor to the standard, provided a Covenant Not to Sue for its patent licensing.

Noting that Texas Instruments now makes more money from patent licensing than from operations, the smaller companies say its lawsuits amount to bullying.