No-Horse, No-Dog, or No-Skin Plaintiff

Dated expression derived from the phrases “no horse in the race,” “no dog in the hunt” or “no skin in the game” and refer to a plaintiff (usually a patent holder) who has no commercial presence in the industry from which the infringing product emerges or where it is used. Defense lawyers perceive such parties as much more difficult to deal with as they have little to lose by pursuing the action to the “bitter end” and are usually invulnerable to counterclaims. Their litigative behaviour is frequently different from litigants from within the relevant industry, i.e., industry participants. Recently more often referred to as Trolls or more politely non-practicing entities.

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