Abuse of our patent system is becoming a drag on innovation in the software and internet sectors, and it’s hurting consumers.Companies are especially concerned about lawsuits – often involving software claims – filed by patent assertion entities commonly known as “trolls.”Last year alone, more than 4,000 patent lawsuits were filed in the U.S; it’s the highest number ever recorded. Software and internet patents are litigated about nine times more often than other patents. Many of those suits seek to exploit low-quality software patents. Increasingly, these lawsuits are filed by plaintiffs who never did the hard work of actually creating a real product or service related to the patent claim.
http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/google/