>You need to call an attorney. Any other advice you get here is bad advice.

Why? Why is your opinion the best? Are you an attorney? Are you an attorney he's called?

This statement has no value, it's almost a paradox,.

Where's the proof behind it? Do you have have statistics? It seems to me to be purely a pass the buck statement.

...because the law is a highly specialized domain, and because it would be foolish to guess about that domain. Also because a given case may be all about the specifics (and discovery may have to do with asking the right questions).

But if you don't believe me just speak to any attorney.

Also I can tell you as someone who's looked at the software industry for over twenty years that YES not knowing what you're doing can be very costly.

Of course a lawyer can still give you bad advice, but that may be a reason to talk to more than one lawyer rather than guessing which is unlikely to help.

Everything is a "highly specialized domain"

So when I'm getting a house built, talking to friends is no use and forbidden, I should only talk to a builder?

If a house falls down I could be killed, that's way worse than being sued.

Sounds like nonsense, but why? Every day we do things that put our lives in non specialist hands but it's a legal issue suddenly "only ever talk to lawyers."

Yes advice must be taken lightly, especially on the internet. Experts have a time and a place. But living in fear can be worse.

I personally would prefer free internet advice than selling out and becoming part of the problem. That to me is a fate worse than being sued.

Others however might prefer a mix, they also might have more on the line than me. That's all good.

But don't let the fear take over and make you irrational. The worst thing with the patent wars is not the suing it's the fear it's creating.

Completely agree. Who started this never talk about legal matters trend? I think it was lawyers. You always have to take things with a grain of salt, just like when you go on WebMD because of a sinus headache and you learn you likely have a brain tumor.

I think that what the other guy was arguing against was your buddy saying "Oh, I'm sure it's just a sinus infection" when you actually have a brain tumor. People tend to be optimistic when it's not their asses on the line. While I wouldn't say advice from others is worthless, it can do more harm than good in specific scenarios.

Yes, I am a patent attorney (but I don't have any involvement in this case of course). It is my professional opinion that the only reasonable advice in this situation is "call an attorney."

That's the only advice a patent atty could possibly give.

OTOH, I'd say there is a non-zero chance that some HN user might see this and be able to reply something to the effect of "Yeah, went through a similar problem with that same firm last year. Contact me by email and I'll tell you how it went down."

Fuck that. Fuck the sharks. Stop feeding them.

Great plan, until you get sued.

Yep. Law varies in sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle ways from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; any advice given over the internet runs the very real risk of being Wrong.

The law is serious business.

Yes, I will be doing that. I was just hoping to find someone who already went through this, because there are many transit apps out there.

Not all are necessarily bad advice here. But YOU SHOULD CONSULT A LAWYER nevertheless.

Not every attorney can give a good advise either. It all depends. If the advise is - settle, don't fight and etc. - it's a bad advise already.

You should note that broken clocks aren't always wrong.

The OPs point is that a competent lawyer will be able to evaluate the relevant law in the relevant jurisdiction(s) and ask relevant questions before giving advice. While advice given on HN may sometimes be right in regards to the law, it is so often wrong that it's best to just go see a lawyer. (Or if you really think the advice is that good, bring the advice to the lawyer)

When dealing with the law and giving people options as to what they might do it's important to note that it's information and not advice. If someone actually gives advice on hacker news then you should definitely not take it. Someone giving information is generally the first clue that they the information they are giving might be relevant in their jurisdiction.

Having a competent lawyer who understands the industry and can help with the best course of action is great. My point was - many lawyers aren't fit for this, and finding one is also a challenge.

Sometimes settling is a reasonable option, even if you dislike patent trolls. If the licensing fee isn't much, and if the patents seem strong (for example, if they've already been through litigation and were held valid) then fighting can be a very risky proposition. Even winning could be more expensive than just paying the fee and getting on with your life.

It surely depends on resources. If you have them - it's better to fight and try to invalidate those patents (like Newegg did). Some patents are strong, while others are junk. And third have prior art. Naturally not everyone has resources to look for it, but pooling resources can help. Many victims fighting a racketeer is easier than one victim alone.