Or Google gets bought by someone who would like Oracle's use of Sun's patents (although imagining Google being bought out is hard at them moment). Would be nice

Or Google gets bought by someone who would like Oracle's use of Sun's patents (although imagining Google being bought out is hard at them moment). Would be nice if there was a way of actively public-domaining patents (so you can use them defensively, but no-one can ever use them offensively. Would be a non-issue if prior art was more reliably a defence (or IMHO non-obviousness was more rigorously enforced)). (edit: Maybe there is already, IANAL. Like what Manfred does in Charles Stross' Accelerando).