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How can your average startup and company owner rest assured that they're not unconsciously walking into a patent troll's lair? I might be unknowingly infringing patents nobody has heard of (except companies like these).

Business idea: a service that investigates your stack (with your permission) and verifies that you're not likely to be sued.



Mission impossible, as any business that operates is likely infringing on thousands, it not tens of thousands of patents every single day.

Patent law has transformed into basic extortion, and it's interesting (for some definition of interesting) to see that such extortion is actually legal in the United States.


I agree, at this point if you do anything tech related you are infringing somebody's patent on something. Whether you get sued or not depends on how much money you have.

As for the legal extortion using lawsuits. That's an old game in the US, there are people who make an active living out of suing somebody for something and offering to settle. Get a copyright infringement letter from somebody? I guarantee you that the settlement offer will be much less than defending yourself in court, even if they are mistaken in their accusation. It's an industry that people have been abusing for years, if not decades.

The courts themselves have to do something to stop this but I see no signs they are interested in reducing the need for more resources to be spent on things the courts need to address these cases.


On the flipside then, a business that investigates a company's potential patent violations and makes them known to patent holders, but offers companies a paid way to opt out from their investigation (beforehand) sounds much more likely (and much more ignoble)


its hard to guess what trolls will do. You could come to Europe.


What about Australia, Canada or New Zealand? And what happens if you would like to offer products and services in the US(which is a huge market). I'm assuming just like Samsung they are still liable if they want to sell something.

I'm genuinely curious and concerned.


Offering products in the US is a problem, so Europe is perhaps more attractive as the market is larger...




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