Readers in Florida may not know the term "troll." In the legal profession, it refers to someone who exercises a legal right or privilege strictly for monetary reasons and not for a more traditionally acceptable reason, like rectifying a wrong or expressing a deeply held conviction.

So, is Yenchin Chang a "trademark troll" who is seeking to exploit trademark law and make money off New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin? Decide for yourself after reading the rest of this post.

Chang, 35, lives in California and has no affiliation with Lin, who has become an overnight sensation by leading the Knicks to several 11th hour wins. Chang recently sought to trademark the term "Linsanity" -- a term often used by media to described frenzied fans' reaction to Lin --- because he "wants to be part of the excitement."

Chan said he would be willing to sell the trademark to Lin if he is granted the trademark and if Lin is interested.

Neither Lin nor his agent have commented on Chang's filing, nor that of another man who is seeking to register the domain names linsanity.com and thejeremylinshow.com.

So, what is your take on this? On the one hand, "Linsanity" could just be a fun-sounding made-up word; Lin doesn't really "own" it in any sense. On the other, do we use that term for anything else other than to refer to Lin? No, and the fact that Chang is looking to profit from his trademark makes us a little suspicious. Of course you can use intellectual property assets to make money, but something about this does not pass the smell test for some people.

Source: Bloomberg, "'Linsanity' Reaches Patent Office as Knicks Win Streak Goes On," Victoria Slind-Flor, Feb. 16, 2012