Yes, patent reform is needed. I do what I can to support that effort. In the meantime I have a business to run and I need to work within the existing legal framework to keep it protected. Access to patents for defensive purposes / patent exchanges are one way to do that.
I do not see how this, in itself, is bullying on Microsoft's part at all. The Apache 2.0 license has a similar mutually assured destruction proviso w.r.t. patent suits. It's one of the reasons that the Free Software Foundation recommends using that license. Is that bullying / FUD?