Critics say the money tech companies are spending on patent litigation could go toward R&D instead. Some say consumers should be concerned too.

“The cost the businesses incur in litigating these cases are passed on to consumers,” said Jeremy de Beer, a law professor at the University of Ottawa.

“And if the businesses lose these patent infringement cases, they can’t offer consumers all of the features that their competitors do.”

Watch CBC's Kate Porter’s report on the niche industry of patent litigation.