his company to Mr. Ricci. "We were on the brink of changing the world before we got stuck in this legal muck," Mr. Phillips said. Mr. Phillips and Vlingo are among the thousands of executives and companies caught in a software patent system that federal judges, economists, policy makers and technology

f dollars set aside for lawyers and court fees, instead of research and development. The article starts with the case of Michael Phillips's company, Vlingo, who had been contacted by a much larger voice recognition firm called Nuance. "I have patents that can prevent you from practicing in this market,"