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I wish companies that oppose software patents would cede all their patents to some central 3rd party... and in exchange, that 3rd party with a large patent portfolio would promise to crush anyone else who initiates a patent suit.


How do you suggest to crush a non-practicing entity? Having a war chest of defensive patents can be a useful deterrent against, eg, Apple or Samsung, but not against people whose business model is to reach a settlement in Eastern Texas.

It's a systemic issue.


Be careful of what you wish for. This was the strategy of Intellectual Ventures setup by microsoft in ~2000. This was during microsoft's "we must use patents to protects ourselves from other patent holders" phase.

Now they are one of the world's largest patent trolls.


Not exactly what you are describing, but not too far off and probably can be used for the purposes you describe: Open Invention Network: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Invention_Network




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