copyright troll

A copyright troll is a person or company that aggressively enforces copyright laws, often by seeking out individuals or businesses that may have unwittingly used copyrighted material without permission. Instead of fostering creativity, they often focus on filing lawsuits or threatening legal action to collect licensing fees or settlements. This practice can exploit the lack of understanding people have about copyright laws, leading to costly legal battles for those who may be using content innocently or unknowingly. Copyright trolls generally prioritize profit over actual protection of creative works.