I don't think we should change how we write code, either: I think we should change the patent system so this stuff doesn't happen. I get tired of hearing the

I don't think we should change how we write code, either: I think we should change the patent system so this stuff doesn't happen. I get tired of hearing the "it's just big companies suing other big companies" argument about why patents aren't a problem. Software patents generally don't stifle innovation because people don't do something because they're worried about patents: they stifle innovation by diverting huge financial and mental resources to patent lawsuits (and patent filing) that could otherwise go to product development or something else useful, and occasionally by crippling companies that aren't large enough to defend themselves. It's just kind of tax on the industry as a whole where the net effect is to siphon money and energy away from important things and towards lawyers. You'd have approximately the same effect if you replaced the patent system with roving bands of feral lawyers that went around randomly destroying property and burning down offices. You wouldn't say, "Hmm, I don't think I'll write software because some lawyer might burn my house down," but dealing with all that destruction would drain resources from other areas, and sometimes it would be too much for a company to overcome. I can't really get into any specifics of the litigation because it's still ongoing.