With a bellwether legal case now shining a light on a potential next-generation abuse of U.S. patent law, a new national survey of U.S. voters reveals overwhelming bipartisan opposition to abuses of the U.S. patent system, including the use of "patent trolls for hire.” A majority of respondents, across party lines, agree that weaponizing the U.S. legal system to destroy business rivals threatens American innovation, consumer prices, and economic competitiveness.

The poll, conducted in September 2025 by research firm Fabrizio Ward, found that 84% of Americans think patent troll practices are an unfair way to conduct business. There is also deep concern about the economic impact, with 75% of voters believing that filing lawsuits solely to drain competitors' resources is an abuse of the U.S. legal system that will raise consumer electronics prices.

In addition, the poll found that large majorities of Americans believe:

Patent abuse is a pressing concern for consumers:

• More than eight in ten respondents (84%) voiced concern about price increases for consumer electronics.
• Nearly three-quarters of voters (73%) said they would be more likely to support companies that actively join the fight against patent trolls.
• In addition, 82% expressed concern that unchecked abuse could lead to supply chain shortages for products made for U.S. customers.

Smaller companies should not be victimized by larger companies:

• 90% of voters agree the U.S. must ensure a fair legal playing field so smaller businesses can innovate and compete without fear of costly, frivolous lawsuits
• Nearly nine in ten voters (89%) expressed concern that smaller companies would be harmed while larger firms gained an unfair advantage.
• 82% believe such lawsuits hurt small competitors while allowing dominant firms to raise prices.

Legal and/or regulatory reforms are needed:

• 90% say the U.S. must protect smaller businesses from costly, frivolous lawsuits designed to eliminate competition rather than protect legitimate intellectual property rights.
• 78% of Americans backing legislation to punish companies that fund frivolous or anti-competitive patent lawsuits.
• 84% agree there should be clear laws punishing companies that misuse patent laws solely to harm competitors.

Patent trolling stifles innovation:

• Similarly, 81% worry about foreign firms exploiting U.S. courts to stifle American innovation and threaten economic interests – a concern that crosses traditional partisan divides.
• 81% of voters agree that every dollar spent fighting frivolous patent lawsuits means less money for innovation, customer service improvements, or lower prices.

The survey also revealed significant voter anxiety about the potential outcomes of unchecked patent abuse. Some 88% said they worry that unethical corporate behavior will go unchecked or even be rewarded, while 83% feared that U.S. courts would become increasingly clogged and operate more slowly because of frivolous litigation.

Taken together, the findings make clear that Americans see the misuse of the U.S. legal system as a threat that extends well beyond the business community. Voters believe abusive litigation drives up consumer costs, weakens trust in the courts, and disadvantages smaller companies.

The survey was sponsored by Realtek Semiconductor Corp., a chip manufacturer that is pursuing antitrust litigation against its larger rival, MediaTek, in U.S. courts. In its case, Realtek v. MediaTek [23-cv-02774], Realtek alleges that MediaTek has employed a patent-troll-for-hire scheme in which a $1 million bounty was offered as part of an anticompetitive agreement to U.S. Non-participating Entity (NPE) firms simply for filing lawsuits that disrupted Realtek’s business, regardless of the outcome.

“Frivolous patent trolling suits are already a hidden tax on consumers and a drag on competition and innovation,” said Gina Hung, general counsel at Realtek. “Using Patent Trolls for Hire is an abuse of the U.S. legal system and, if left unchecked, this dangerous and illegal tactic could be copied by other dominant competitors to harm their rivals. When the patent trolls win, Americans lose.”

Methodology

Fabrizio Ward conducted a survey September 10-14, 2025, of 1,000 registered voters nationally. Quotas were set by region, age, gender, education, and race/ethnicity. Data was weighted by region, age, gender, recalled 2024 vote, education, and race/ethnicity. Margin of sampling error for n1,000 is ±3.1% at the 95% confidence level. The interviews were conducted via cell phones (35%), landlines (25%), and SMS-to-Web (40%) to voters sampled from the voter file.

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