[shitlord]

I think applying that philosophy to every decision you make will get you sued. Sure, nothing important would come of it if the patent is junk, but if it isn't, and if your product takes off, then you will be in a major bind.

[fruchtose]

There's a spectrum of who gets sued.

1. Company is too small to be noticed (or sued) 2. Company is noticeable but does not have resources to prevent or defeat lawsuits 3. Company is too big or powerful to be sued

Companies on the smallest end of the spectrum won't be sued, either because nobody has ever heard of them, they don't have anything worth using over, or a combination of both. These are your bedroom startups.

Companies on the bigger end of the spectrum have more patents and lawyers than there are sausage on a meat lover's pizza. These are Microsoft, IBM, and and the like.