Ask HN: Software Patent Best Practices

[tltjr]

As someone who is actively working on a software application I intend to market, I'm troubled by the increasing number of posts about patent trolls, lawsuits, etc.. I understand this risk cannot be mitigated entirely, but what steps can a developer take to protect themselves and their software?

[petegrif]

Against what? Is your concern that you will (hopefully inadvertently) infringe on someone else's patent or that someone will rip off your invention?