Successful Startups and Patents?

An anonymous reader asks: "Is there a strategy for software startups wanting to make it big with a product in this world of software patents? Particularly, how can a software startup, wishing to take its product to the international market, hope to compete with the large software companies and their armada of patents?" "No matter whether or not the startup has an innovative product, a patent or two, a little or a lot of funds, it seems that if the large software companies decide that they wish to crush them with law-suits regarding patent infringement, valid or invalid, they can tie them up long enough in court to drive them out of business (via bankruptcy, or to cause them to lose any market lead they may have had). Can anyone suggest a strategy (or discussions on strategies) that could help a software company thrive, without playing the same game? Or are those days over — and the current crop of software companies are so well entrenched (thanks to the patent system) that there is no hope for a a new player?"

Comments

Totally

[prostoalex]

Is there a strategy for software startups wanting to make it big with a product in this world of software patents?

There're tons of strategies a small company with a patent portfolio could pursue.

Sincerely,
Darl McBride, SCO

As an expert in this

[yada21]

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