Blockchain Patent Holders Look to Dodge Trolls, Lawsuits

Blockchain patent wars may be looming, and companies are experimenting with preventive measures.

Startups and industry leaders, like IBM Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, are winning patents for the technology that is fueling cryptocurrencies and being applied to traditional businesses. They are also increasingly coordinating to uncover solutions—from cross-licensing and pooling patents to patent pledges—that would help ward off patent trolls and infringement lawsuits that plagued past tech revolutions, like the semiconductor or mobile phone booms.

“You’re seeing a much more aggressive effort of a nascent industry to create pools and a pool environment,” Josh Krumholz, co-leader of Holland & ...