Imagine getting a letter demanding $1,000 for each employee who scans and emails a document. Would you take it seriously? BlueWave Computing founder and CEO Steve Vicinanza did.

An outfit called Project Paperless, claiming to have patents on using the office equipment as it was intended, sent out notices that demanded licensing fees from several Atlanta area businesses.

Vicinanza calculated his payout would be $130,000 and got an attorney. Meanwhile says Ars Technica, the ploy has been adopted by several other shell companies.