The Vermont attorney general's office is suing a business, accusing it of "patent trolling."
The lawsuit filed Wednesday says MPHJ Technology, based in Wilmington, Del., and its 40 shell subsidiary companies operating in Vermont, say they have a patent on the process of scanning documents and attaching them to emails via a network.
The attorney general's office says the company has sent letters containing multiple deceptive statements and demanding money from Vermont small businesses for licensing fees, a practice referred to as "patent trolling." The suit says at least two of the businesses are non-profits that assist developmentally disabled people.
A lawyer who represents the company in patent matters says the company disputes the allegations.
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