Patent trolls target small, innovative companies - and you could be next.

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

As I walk the CES show floor each year, I marvel at the groundbreaking innovations showcased by our nation's top entrepreneurs, inventors, and businesses. While innovation can happen anywhere and exhibitors join us from around the world, it's not just our Las Vegas location that draws thousands of American companies to our halls. But this year, beyond the show and the lights, I'm concerned about a quiet but potentially disastrous threat to American innovation and entrepreneurship.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) is a little-known but powerful executive agency tasked with protecting U.S. industries, including small businesses and entrepreneurs, from unfair trade practices by foreign corporations. It is a laudable goal. However, in recent years, patent trolls - in other words, companies that do nothing but manipulate patent laws to extort legitimate businesses - have turned ITC into a legal weapon targeting successful companies. of all sizes. These cases have serious consequences, as the ITC often relies on exclusion orders and sweeping bans preventing US companies from distributing products and using technology as a primary tool to resolve disputes. These extreme bans pose a real danger to American innovation. One wrong exclusion order could shut down a small business, shut down a growing business, or cripple a successful entrepreneur.

Related: 4 Potential Small Business Lawsuits to Watch

American entrepreneurs and small business owners spend years creating and investing in innovative products and services to build successful businesses. Patent trolls simply feed off the success of others. Unfortunately, these bad actors often view small and medium enterprises as easy targets, and ITC's legal forums do nothing to discourage baseless lawsuits. Even the ITC's own data shows the problem has spiraled out of control, with lawsuits by patent trolls skyrocketing over the past decade. Today, it's common for business owners to receive threatening letters, which cite absurdly broad or vague patents and offer business owners a choice between huge payouts or costly, endless lawsuits. /p>

Even small business owners who avoid direct confrontations with patent trolls can be caught in the crossfire of disputes between bad actors and big business. Take, for example, a recent ITC case filed by a patent troll against major US technology companies for their use of semiconductors. If this deal succeeds, it would rule out a wide range of tech products. Overnight, small businesses could lose access to key components used in their products.

While Congress has been slow to address the patent troll issues plaguing the ITC, the problem is starting to escalate. Groups like the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC) have led the charge on ITC reform, pushing congressional leaders to introduce meaningful legislation. The bipartisan Advancing America's Interests Act, for example, would fix some of the most egregious legal loopholes that patent trolls exploit for profit...