There have been studies. Here's one of them: http://www.bu.edu/law/faculty/scholarship/workingpapers/Bessen-Ford-Meurer-troll.html http://www.bu.edu/law/facult

There have been studies. Here's one of them: http://www.bu.edu/law/faculty/scholarship/workingpapers/Bessen-Ford-Meurer-troll.html http://www.bu.edu/law/faculty/scholarship/workingpapers/Bess... As for consensus...I don't need consensus to know what's ethical. I've been working in software all of my professional life. Software patents are a disaster for innovation.