The bad news is that Wal-Mart, Gillette, Michelin, Home Depot, Target and Pfizer are all being sued for RFID patent infringement.

The good news is that the lawsuit signals how far we have come with RFID. You know a technology is starting to gain wider acceptance, when the lawsuits start. People do not file lawsuits unless there is something worth fighting over.

Of course some will take this lawsuit as yet another sign that the U.S. Patent office is out of control, issuing overly broad patents right and left like the easter bunny handing out chocolate eggs.

Tech companies have complained about patent trolls in recent years. Patent troll is a term referring to a company that secures patents for the main purpose of filing lawsuits. With the cost of defending a patent lawsuit averaging $2 million, a lot of companies faced with a patent infringement suit just cave in -- and settle. In turn that just encourages more patent trolls. It has become quite the cottage industry.

I do not know if that is the situation here, but the descriptions of the patent in question certainly sound very broad.