法律英语翻译-2 Joe Nocera法律英语翻译-2 Joe Nocera.docVIP

Ex--1 Joe Nocera: A patent shame （25） Our story today is about a patent fight. But before your eyes glaze over, let me reassure you: It has a feisty protagonist, a really rich guy on the other side, and a surprise ending. 我们今天的故事是关于一场专利之争。但是在您的眼睛困合之前，我要向您保证：一方面，这个故事有着一个争强好胜的主角，另一方面，它也很丰富多彩，并且它还有一个令人惊奇的结局。 Patent disputes have become part of the dark underbelly of business. So- called patent trolls acquire patents, often from bankrupt companies, and instead of using them to make and sell a product, they extract licensing fees from companies that are. 专利之争已经成为黑暗交易的一部分，所谓的专利魔头，通常从破产的公司那里获得专利，他们并不使用和出售这些产品，而是从同业其他公司那里赚取许可费。 Patent litigation is expensive, and the judicial system tends to be sympathetic to the patent holder. So companies usually come to the obvious conclusion: It makes more sense to pay than to fight. 专利之诉的费用很高，而且司法系统倾向于维护专利持有者。所以，公司间经常达成协议：支付费用比诉讼费更为划算。 But a few years ago, one chief executive decided that enough was enough.Our protagonist is Donald Katz, who founded A in 1996. Audible is the company that allows you to download books onto your iPod, so you can listen to them during your commute. Before starting Audible, Katz was a highly regarded author; he and I first crossed paths in the late 1980s when he wrote several articles for New England Monthly, where I was an editor. 但是几年前，一位首席执行官认为应当适可而止。我们故事的主角叫做唐纳德?卡茨，他在1996年创立了欧迪博网站。欧迪博是一家提供下载电子书到苹果机上的公司，这样一来，你就可以在上下班的路上听了。在创办欧迪博公司之前，卡茨曾是一位很受尊敬的作家。我是在20世纪80年代后期得知他的大名的，那时他曾为《新英格兰月报》写过几篇文章，而我当时正是这个月报的编辑。 Writers usually have no head for business, but Katz was an exception. In its early days the company invented a device that allowed people to listen to a downloaded Audible book. Thanks to the ubiquitous iPod, the device is now history. The small company went public in 1999 and is growing healthily. 作者通常都不精通于经商，但是卡茨是个例外。早期这家公司发明了一个装置，此装置能使人们收听下载的电子听力书。多亏了无处不在的苹果，现在这一装置已经成为了历史。这个小公司在1999年上市，现在运作得很好。 Audible had its first brush with a patent troll in 2000. Their patent involved a completely different bu