See this comment for a link to start with for patents in general: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10962996 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10962996 T

See this comment for a link to start with for patents in general: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10962996 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10962996 To my knowledge, empirical evidence that incumbent patent holders in the software industry are suppressing innovators is mixed. This paper from 2006 claims no ill-effects have been felt: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=926204 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=926204 Another 2005 studies also suggests that patent thickets do not prevent the creation of young firms, and the use of patents may actually help startups: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=510103 http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=510103 On the other hand, this 2006 study finds that product areas with patent thickets see fewer new entrants: http://www.nber.org/papers/w12563 http://www.nber.org/papers/w12563 -- Interestingly, this paper also finds that startups with patents of their own are much more likely to enter a patent-infested product area.