I wholeheartedly agree with this article. The common defense for software patents is that a small company doesn't have any other means to prevent a big company

I wholeheartedly agree with this article. The common defense for software patents is that a small company doesn't have any other means to prevent a big company from copying its invention, but I'd claim that a small company can't afford to build the patent portfolio in the first place and thus even that point is moot.