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So that one can begin to judge how duplicitous their claims in defence of another's 'invalid' patent my be.

• patmcc 3y ago
  If Cloudflare starts trying to sue or shake down folks with their patents, this will be a very valid point. Until then it's a little silly; everybody holds patents for (at least) defensive reasons.
  • MetaWhirledPeas 3y ago
    Exactly. As long as that's how the game is played you must play it or you will be sued out of existence.
  • creeble 3y ago
    But that’s generally where the trolls get their patents from - what were once large companies (like, in Cloudflare’s recent case, Caspian Networks). My point (if any) is that while we pat Cloudflare on the back for “taking down a troll”, they are complicit (as are many companies these days) in assisting the creation of future trolls who will mine their own, more general, perhaps “obvious to someone familiar with the art”, patents like CNAME flattening.
    • patmcc 3y ago
      Sure, but what's the solution (if you're Cloudflare)? You can patent CNAME flattening, only use it defensively, and maybe you eventually go bankrupt and someone scoops it up (not great). Or you can NOT patent it...and some troll probably will, and can now use it offensively. The solution is patent reform on this kind of obvious bullshit, but that's not something Cloudflare can solve.