One of the major arguments of software patent proponents has been that the patents would only be a defensive shield for their owners. The latest patent war between Amazon.com and Cendant shows again how much the claim holds true (from El Reg):
In his defense, Bezos argues that patents are defensive and should never be used, and illustrated this when Amazon.com sued rival bookseller Barnes and Noble for infringing on its notorious One Click patent.
In fact Bezos hates patents so much he has applied for 15 in his own name of which eight have been granted; as patent-watcher TheoDP noticed recently, one Amazon patent was granted after five rejections over four years. And as patent ’399 shows, he was busy filing before Amazon.com had sold a single book.
Clearly, the world needs more crusaders against patent abuse like Jeff Bezos.