Editing Software patent debate (section)

===Software encourages patent thickets===
A [[patent thicket]] is a dense web of patents that companies must decipher to develop new technology. There are various types of patent thickets such as when a single innovation is protected by multiple patent holders or when a product is covered by numerous patents. The consequences of patent thickets are increased difficulty of innovation, complex cross-licensing relations between companies, and discouragement of newcomers from entering the software industry.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=González |first1=Andrés Guadamuz |title=The software patent debate |journal=Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice |date=10 January 2006 |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=196–206 |doi=10.1093/jiplp/jpi046}}</ref>