rebelos

I'm wondering if preemptive protection against software patent claims is warranted in 2022. It seems like almost anything you could build now would in theory violate some existing patent.

I'd also like to know about how vigorously major tech companies are enforcing their patents, since they're almost all hoarding quite a few of them. You occasionally hear about some aggressive companies like Sonos, for example, but I'm sure there are many more stories that don't percolate up to the mainstream. Is the only thing protecting startups the goodwill of the behemoths and low visibility? Are there tech startups that end up being destroyed by licensing costs and legal fees related to patent claims?

What are the best strategies for successfully defending against this problem? For example, would it be advisable to search for relevant patents and attempt to license them before working on a project? Should you always simply give up on a project that has patent exposure?