[dlikhten]

(1) Trolls are definitely a problem, but so is apple, MS, and Oracle. Hell we saw what happens when Samsung got pissed off, they decided to start suing for patents the world needs to implement cell phones. Samsung may have failed, but MS may not.

(2) Patents are good, as long as they are NON-OBVIOUS. In the realm of software, a lot of things are obvious. In fact most of what is patented is obvious. The problem is that its non-obvious until an engineer needs to solve it, then it will become obvious as it is on the path to the solution. Software patent problem: SOFTWARE IS ALGORITHMS; MATH! You cannot patent equations. We have lots of proof that software is just an equation, though more complex and in a different form. Hell implement it in Lisp and you have lambda calculus. That's the point.

Software is mathematics. End of story. Cannot be patented.

(3) President is not in full power, but not powerless either. He can put pressure via the citizens.

[marshray]

we saw what happens when Samsung got pissed off, they decided to start suing for patents the world needs to implement cell phones

Wasn't it Apple that fired the first shot there?