We really should shorten patent lifespans to like 10 years. And like 5 (or 0) years for pure software patents.
Things are moving faster these days, with the interwebs and all.
Things are moving faster these days, with the interwebs and all.
In days of yore (and possibly still today), IBM would reach into its bag of thousands of patents, extract a handful, and allege infringement. The target might well successfully prove otherwise.
IBM would reach into its bag of thousands of patents, and extract another handful. The first defence had already cost the target several millions in litigation, not recoverable even on a finding of non-infringement.
This was explained to me in person by an individual with a long history of fighting such fights, back in the 1990s.