This year has already shaped up to be one of enormous Congressional interest in patent trolls, with six bills introduced so far that would bring various fixes to bear on the problem—some big in scope, others more modest. Whether this discussion will lead to action still remains to be seen. The White House wants action on the issue, as well.

Today, a letter signed by 50 disparate organizations was delivered to the chairmen and minority leaders of the judicial committees in both houses. The National Retail Federation, which has made patents a top issue for 2013, dubbed it the "Big Tent letter," and the signatories do reflect the unprecedented groundswell of support for doing something about patent trolls. With small businesses being hit up for $1,000 per worker just for using scanners, and multi-million dollar court battles being fought to kill obvious e-commerce patents, more American businesses are waking up to the fact that this isn't just a tech issue anymore. In fact, the letter points out that 2012 was the first time that trolls sued more non-tech companies than those involved in tech.

The letter reads, in part:

Managing frivolous patent suits unfortunately has become an expensive distraction for a large cross-section of American businesses. Instead of focusing on innovation, job creation, and economic growth, we are forced to deal with legal games that have serious consequences. The growth and reach of patent troll activity in recent years has been astounding. Since 2005, the number of defendants sued by patent trolls has quadrupled. Last year, they sued over 7,000 defendants and sent thousands more threat letters. This activity cost the US economy $80 billion in 2011, and productive companies made $29 billion in direct payouts. Moreover, trolls no longer only sue large tech corporations. Small and medium-­sized businesses of all types, including start-­ups, are now the most frequent targets.... There is a growing consensus that now is the time to address this issue.

The letter is signed by some groups that have been advocating against patent trolls for years, such as the Coalition for Patent Fairness and the Computer and Communications Industry Association. But it includes groups that, between them, rope in a vast array of companies: retailers, restaurant groups, insurance agents, magazine publishers, banks and credit unions, the MPAA, grocers, hospitals, hotels, casinos, advertisers, car companies, public power groups, and the American Public Transit Association (APTA), which took on a notorious troll.