poppyrich - 3:44 pm on Apr 3, 2009 (gmt 0)

If a large company has a patent on a technology for which any case can be made for infringement, no matter how flimsy or "frivolous", the legal costs of defending can easily drive a start-up out of business.
That's just the way it is.
Legal costs are the real weapon, having the patent just gives you the ability (or just a pretext, sometimes) to wield it.