>Can you name a case where Microsoft has tried to screw some fairly small developer by using a patent lawsuit? Why does it have to be a "fairly small developer

>Can you name a case where Microsoft has tried to screw some fairly small developer by using a patent lawsuit? Why does it have to be a "fairly small developer"? Microsoft has a legacy of a lot of broad patents owing to the fact that they've been rolling in billions for decades (and hence can stomach having a lot of people filing trivial patents). With that they try to either run competitors out of business, FUD users into avoiding alternatives, or outright demand some extortion fees (see every Android maker and Microsoft's current patent shakedown). "Obvious infrginements" is loaded and has little meaning given the incredibly broad patents allowed by the patent system. >would we be better off without patents altogether, or are we grumbling about minor annoyances compared to what we'd be dealing with without patents (e.g. lots of obfuscation)? We would be far better off without software patents. There is absolutely no doubt about that. I neither encourages innovation (it more likely discourages innovation), and it only helps to entrench the most successful.