The U.S. Supreme Court just came down with a ruling in the long-awaited Bilski case. If the Court ruled too broadly, software patents could have been invalidated. That was not the case. The Roberts Court ruled narrowly, but without providing any guidance or legal test that would have prevented needless litigation from happening well into the future. There is still going to be ridiculus patent lawsuits and countersuits - my patent portfilo is bigger than yours type junk lawsuits. I'm not anti-patent, but many software patents fail to 'wow' me as being anything more than just obvious. That even goes for some patents that are tied to systems. A strong patent system can feed innovation, but inventors and small businesses will suffer as a consequence of the Court's decision.