From: jeremy.wright@microfocus.com   
      
   I think some companies seek patents as a pre-emptive defence. If you hold   
   a patent for some ""technique" it is much more difficult for a patent-troll   
   to sue you for infringing their later patent.   
      
   If the patent system was working properly, one would not need to take such   
   measures, but as George points out, the situation in the USA is unlikely   
   to change for the better quickly.   
      
   Jeremy Wright   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)