Business reality: patent trolls exist.
Rational strategy: patent things that you think you have no business patenting. Use for defensive purposes.
If Makerbot starts using such patents offensively, then anger is warranted. Not before.
Rational strategy: patent things that you think you have no business patenting. Use for defensive purposes.
If Makerbot starts using such patents offensively, then anger is warranted. Not before.
http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/11/26/stratasys-throws-cu...
It's an arms race! The system is broken. But I wouldn't blame an individual for picking the right strategy to maximize their chances.
The problem with that is that you don't know whether they'll use the patent offensively or defensively until after it's granted.
They need to arm themselves to survive an attack... which makes it so everyone else has to arm themselves in case they attack... arms race!