---
title: 'Software Patents: Smaller Targets and Deeper Pockets'
lanyrd_url: http://lanyrd.com/2013/seagl/scpffr/
beginning: 2013-10-12T14:00-07:00
end: 2013-10-12T14:50-07:00
presenters:
- name: Deb Nicholson
  lanyrd_url: http://lanyrd.com/profile/deb-9708/
---

Unless you have been living under a rock, you've certainly heard of the software patent epidemic. Recent trends show that the targets have been getting smaller while the "Patent Aggression Entities" have been getting larger. What can developers of small-to-medium sized projects do to ameliorate their risk?

Academics have been proposing solutions, new lawsuits bubble up every week and finally lawmakers have been acknowledging the problem -- but will these solutions be enough? Internationally, the situation is changing constantly. One country outlaws software patents and another embraces them. Meanwhile, developers just want to staunch the flow of settlement money and get back to make software.

This talk is for developers, contributors and other non-lawyers who are concerned about the global epidemic of software patent suits and especially how it affects free and open source python developers. The audience will walk away with a better sense of who is getting sued and why, what solutions are gaining traction and what community members can do to ameliorate their own risk and the community's risk.
