Wired: Patently Absurd

"Many Silicon Valley companies are deciding that when it comes to technology patents, the best defense is a good offense."

"In the high-technology age, the patent has become more than a way to protect legitimate intellectual property. It's often the legal equivalent of a Cold War nuclear stockpile: Sue me over your patents and I'll sue you over mine."

" 'It's what I like to disparagingly refer to as 'mutually assured crap,' ' said Greg Aharonian, a patent researcher and an oft-quoted critic of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 'It's like the Cold War strategy of mutually assured destruction. "

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