"I have no problem following regulations and paying for licenses. The problem is getting blind-sided by it. I still don't even understand if I need a RoHS certi

"I have no problem following regulations and paying for licenses. The problem is getting blind-sided by it. I still don't even understand if I need a RoHS certification to ship in my home state of California. Is there any resource you found helpful ? Thanks in advance." At least in my own work this has been something that pops up time & time again. Not only are there regulations that are tricky to nail down, there are things like intellectual property that you may not even be aware you're using. Build a blinking LED to detect activity on a data line? Wouldn't be surprised to receive a letter from a law firm. And unfortunately I don't know of any great ways to avoid the nasty surprise of receiving patent-backed threats. Personally I think this is why the big companies bulk up on patents, so that they can at least promise Mutually Assured Destruction against each other. For smaller companies & people selling products, you're probably infringing on some patent that they own without even realizing it.