Patent trolls want $1,000—for using scanners

Ars has acquired several copies of the AdzPro demand letter; the only variations are the six-letter name of the shell company and the royalty demands, which range from $900 to $1,200 per employee.

Patent-licensing companies are going after the users of everyday technology rather than their traditional targets, the tech companies that actually make technology. This year, more than ever, trolls have moved beyond tech in a big way.

Project Paperless' spawn—AdzPro, AllLed, GosNel, and the others listed above—exemplify the new strategy. They send out vast quantities of letters, mainly to businesses that never could have imagined they’d be involved in any kind of patent dispute.