We all have heard stories about companies ("patent trolls") that do not produce products, but sit on patents and attempt to milk payments from vendors and end-user companies that run disputed pieces of software code. IBM and other companies have announced support for patent reform legislation, the Patent Reform Act of 2009, which would improve patent quality, help reduce unproductive litigation, and better harmonize the U.S. patent system with those of other countries. Protection of intellectual property and ideas is important, but patent trolls have been a major threat to the progress of the industry, perhaps modernization of the patent code will remove many nuisance lawsuits.
To stay on top of all the trends, subscribe to Database Trends and Applications magazine.