> Today we are excited to announce some important steps we are taking on the patent front, why these defensive steps are necessary, and our hope that others will see merit in our approach and follow our lead.
...
> Our Patent Pledge assures developers and users of our technology that we will not sue them for patent infringement, provided they comply with the terms and conditions of our pledge...
https://blockstream.com/2016/07/19/blockstream-defensive-pat...
Edit: Here is a discussion of Blockstream's patent application for side car design,
> The application, submitted on 9th May and published earlier this week, outlines “systems and methods...for transferring an asset from a parent chain to a sidechain”.
http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-blockstream-patent-sidechain...
Here is blockstream talking about Lightening,
> Blockstream’s work on the Lightning protocol began two years ago with the intention of enabling new applications and developing new use cases that could help further the adoption of Bitcoin and related technologies
https://blockstream.com/2015/09/01/lightning-network.html
Also presumably if segwit activates then Liquid is no longer needed?
Edit: The relationship between Blockstream and Lightning is underscored, by the fact that the largest contributor to the specification is a Blockstream employee (Rustee Russell),
https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lightning-rfc/graphs/con...