Palo Alto: What does an iOS developer need to know about software patents?

With many thanks to AOL for hosting and Andreessen Horowitz for support:

David Pollak will be moderating a panel discussion of attorneys and other experts who will answer our questions about patents and IP law.

Our panelists include:

• Pat Reilly, practicing IP attorney, and leader of The Intellectual Property Society (ipsociety.net)

• Lee Van Pelt, IP law attorney with Van Pelt, Yi, and James LLP

• Sid Venkatesan, Senior Associate, Intellectual Property at Orrick

• John Kelley, attorney and IP litigator, now running an innovation strategy consulting practice (399innovation.com) and co-teaching a continuing studies class at Stanford on patent policy.

and possibly one more to be announced soon.

We're also working on a list of questions to discuss. Here's a preliminary glimpse:

• What is the purpose and history of patent law (in 3 minutes or less)?

• What is the history of software patents?

• What are the mechanics of getting a software patent?

• Statistics on software patents (how many, who owns them)

• What are some issues with software patents and how is Congress addressing them?

• Cost: What will it cost me to get a patent? To defend my patent? To defend against someone who says that I am infringing a patent? (Clearly it varies, but it would be good to hear some numbers from real situations.)

• How can I use provisional patents effectively?

• What are the most dangerous patents in the mobile software world?

• Who are the most troublesome patent trolls in the mobile software world? How can I avoid them?

• Agree/Disagree: "Patent trolls have cost innovators half a trillion dollars?" http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/study-patent-trolls-have-cost-innovators-half-a-trillion-bucks.ars

• What has been Apple's attitude toward patent trolls who are harassing independent developers?

• When does Apple buy patents from developers? What have those patents been worth?

• Who else buys patents? Should I sell to NPEs?

• How do I use my patents to deter other developers from copying my product? How might my strategy change if these competitors are outside the US?

• How can we work to eliminate software patents? Should we?

• Time permitting, it would also be good to discuss trademarks, NDAs, and any other related topics that might lead to a surprise cease-and-desist letter.

What's your question? Post it in the comments below.