Anyone following technology news is likely to have seen the phrase "patent troll" pop up with increasing frequency over the past several years as these litigious entities become more and more of a problem. The phrase "patent troll" is the more colloquial term for patent assertion entities — companies that use lawsuits to force others into licensing their patents, but don't create any products of their own. US Congress is attempting to fight back with legislation that could cut back on frivolous patent lawsuits, but it still needs the Senate to pass a bill.

Now the popular video series on copyright and creative transformation Everything is a Remix has returned with a special video explaining what patent trolls are and why they're a problem as means to pushing for strengthened reform legislation to move through Congress. For an informative and short introduction to how trolls have become so problematic, you can check out the video below.