Today's business landscape has the added issue of global commerce, meaning a US Patent can easily be sidestepped with off shore servers. So, international paten

Today's business landscape has the added issue of global commerce, meaning a US Patent can easily be sidestepped with off shore servers. So, international patents are needed, which are exponentially more expensive in both finances and time to acquire. Then, the patent(s) need to be enforced, with your own financing. Patents are a rich man's game with an industry (patent attorneys) professionally trained to leach the maximum amount out of the disputing parties. As an international patent holder, I urge everyone to consider trade secrets and gaining market traction the higher priority. So what if you develop a business that some small startup has a patent? It's too expensive for the startup to enforce their own patent, and if the startup aligns with a deep pocketed ally, chances are they will be consumed and that deep pocketed ally's interests pursued. Make the business and the business community will align with you. Go after the patent(s) and be financially and (as a result) organizationally drained to the degree that your business is not receiving the focus and attention it requires.