This is why I refuse to participate in patenting software.
I've written code for people who wanted to patent it as part of a device, and whilst I can't necessarily stop them, I can definitely refuse to assist in salting the ground for those that come after me.
Obviously, like nuclear weapons, if you don't have patents, then you are vulnerable, and the World is a harsh place. It's difficult to see how the process of patenting, then squatting on code that anyone could write, can be resolved.
I'm no expert in American patents so forgive me if I don't fully understand things, my country doesn't even have software patents :O
But it seems from my readings that applying a reasonable expiry date to them would solve so many issues.
So say an assumption would apply that after say 5-10 years a technology would be common place and hence no longer unique, and that a company that couldn't capitalise after that period shouldn't be able to be in a position to hold up an economy.
I've written code for people who wanted to patent it as part of a device, and whilst I can't necessarily stop them, I can definitely refuse to assist in salting the ground for those that come after me.
Obviously, like nuclear weapons, if you don't have patents, then you are vulnerable, and the World is a harsh place. It's difficult to see how the process of patenting, then squatting on code that anyone could write, can be resolved.