My goal is to insulate myself from the stupidity that is software patents, I generally come up with the ideas myself while working but then search for prior implementations to see it has been patented (some of which should never have been given a patent).
I've actually had a similar experience with this. I was working on our company website and came up with something remarkably similar to Amazon's One-Click Ordering System. Having ordered a max of 3 things off Amazon in the past 10 years; I had absolutely no idea they had any such feature. Continuing my work lead out to the architecture and rough code-outline of this (I was unusually excited so I did a bit of pre-coding). Then deciding to 'do my homework' I went off to find prior implementations; low and behold I came across Amazon's One-Click Ordering Process. (And also the information covering the two-click ordering process lawsuit that still went in Amazon's favor).
So my question is if I had implemented such a system would I have been liable? The sad thing is, looking at the way the patent system is now, I WANT to say yes. Even with it being my own code just the process being patented would have prevented me from using it; despite the fact that I came up with a similar process completely on my own.
It just seems to me that in a way the patent system stifles...innovation. I am now very concerned about putting my efforts towards something without checking for a patent first. I'd like to see someone with more experience and legal knowledge could expand on Patents and Patent Law in general.
