Apple and Patents

So we all know that Apple collects insane numbers of patents.

Including a PATENT FOR A PAPER BAG:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/20/apple-patent-recycled-paper-bag

But how is Apple AFFECTED by patents?

Well, read this email I just got from someone that works there:

Hi Austin and Team,

My name is (withheld because she does not want to risk getting in trouble with Apple), I am an Apple retail employee in the East district of Texas. I'm emailing you to let you know that today, I lost my job.
Because of patent trolls.

I didn't really understand what this meant as people were telling me this, but I was directed to your video "SuingApple" by a coworker of mine. I wanted to take a moment and thank you for your source of explanation, it brought a lot of clarity and answered some questions that I felt were being ignored by my HR Representatives.

My store market in North Texas is comprised of  four retail locations; Knox Street, Northpark Mall, Willowbend Mall, and Stonebriar Mall. The latter two of these, Willowbend and Stonebriar, sitting at the heart of the East District. We were being used as an official apple location on addresses in these lawsuits, and in turn, were being targeted by these trolls up until two days ago, when they told us that we were closing the doors on these locations.

Apple has to make a call to close the doors in these two retail locations because of these patent trolls. The employees of these spots are having to either relocate, or take severance and leave the company. One of the most recent lawsuits cost the company almost 50 million, over the same patent issue in your video from 2017.

I don't expect anything to be done about this by you or your team. My family and I are relocating and we will be okay in long term, but I just figured any amount of insight into this issue is interesting. It's not just companies anymore, it's families, everyday people being affected by the money thirst that trolls have.

I have pointed others within my team at both of these stores to your documentary and videos, you're very helpful and informative, we all thank you.

Good luck with all you do.

So Apple is PATENTING a PAPER BAG to be ready to sue anyone that USES PAPER BAGS if they want to, while at the same time getting sued to the point that they have to close stores.

You read it right. Apple uses the patent system to be sure that they can SUE any competitor into oblivion (look at their attempts with Samsung), while the system is at the same time forcing them to close stores.

This is a look at what the patent system is actually doing.

After all, if anyone can tell the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT that they OWN AN IDEA, and then SUE ANYONE that practices that idea, then what could possibly go wrong??