Paul Graham wrote an essay on software patents in 2006. I found it helpful to get an overview of the wider issue: http://www.paulgraham.com/softwarepatents.htm

Paul Graham wrote an essay on software patents in 2006. I found it helpful to get an overview of the wider issue: http://www.paulgraham.com/softwarepatents.html http://www.paulgraham.com/softwarepatents.html I wonder whether this part is relevant: "When you read of big companies filing patent suits against smaller ones, it's usually a big company on the way down, grasping at straws. For example, Unisys's attempts to enforce their patent on LZW compression. When you see a big company threatening patent suits, sell. When a company starts fighting over IP, it's a sign they've lost the real battle, for users."