No, it's not meaningless. It can have different contexts. In the general sense, troll can mean racketeer. The fact that many trolls are pure parasites (i.e. while being racketeers they don't produce anything as well) doesn't mean that patent aggressors which do produce something can't also be called trolls when they engage in the patent protection racket.
I.e. using software patents for defensive purposes is OK. Using them for aggression in practice is patent trolling or protection racket, and it doesn't matter whether the troll produces anything or not. It's enough to see any real cases of patent aggression to understand that. MS, Apple and the like which do produce stuff but constantly engage in patent protection racket can be called trolls.
Using patents for encouraging innovation isn't the case here, since they come after competition which developed things independently, didn't copy anything from them and so on. They simply want to fight competition using their patents as weapons, or extort money from competitors (like MS does), and threatening them that if they fight some patents, they can pull out more. That's racket in its classic form.
Oh yeah, it is "the best defense is a good offense" strategy... Wait what? It is ok to use them defensively (that is, pull them out if someone threatens to sue you) But you can't use them for what they are actually intended for? That is for protecting your monopoly for a short period of time?
A patent holder doesn't "use patents for encouraging innovation" The government provides people with patents, to encourage innovation. But if you give me a patent, I don't have to run around using it to encourage others to innovate. What I can do, is make money on the item I already innovated. And maybe I'll have an incentive to innovate some more.
But to call someone a troll for using the patent that way it is intended to be used, because you don't like it, is just plain wrong.
> But you can't use them for what they are actually intended for?
Patents aren't intended for racket and stifling innovation.
> A patent holder doesn't "use patents for encouraging innovation"
Oh, really? Then take a look at the patent law again, and the reason why limited time monopoly is given (as patents). If using a patent prevents and slows down innovation, it goes against the reason it was given in the first place and is usually a good indicator of patent trolling / aggression and otherwise abuse of the patent system, as well as indicator that patent system is broken (or not well tuned).
I.e. normally patents shouldn't exist (monopoly is normally bad). But, they are granted to boost innovation. If results of patents usage is the opposite - something is wrong.
I.e. using software patents for defensive purposes is OK. Using them for aggression in practice is patent trolling or protection racket, and it doesn't matter whether the troll produces anything or not. It's enough to see any real cases of patent aggression to understand that. MS, Apple and the like which do produce stuff but constantly engage in patent protection racket can be called trolls.
Using patents for encouraging innovation isn't the case here, since they come after competition which developed things independently, didn't copy anything from them and so on. They simply want to fight competition using their patents as weapons, or extort money from competitors (like MS does), and threatening them that if they fight some patents, they can pull out more. That's racket in its classic form.