I am really curious if an event like this will eventually promote change in the software patent laws
The answer, I have come to realize, is no. It will always be no. Ridiculous examples do not drive change. The only thing that will drive change is a direct attack on John Doe (aka patenting the mRNA polymerase gene and demanding licensing fees from everyone) or collaborative effort that has a direct effect on John Doe- for example, a "strike" by a large number of significant companies, or a "dark knight" who uses patents to completely shut down a very popular company like Apple and thus incite the people.
I am a pessimist, I know, but honestly if you've paid attention these past few years, you'll have noticed that obscene patent stories just keep coming.
If Apple, Microsoft and Oracle managed to drive Android out of the US, that might be enough, but I don't expect that to happen. Even if they won all their lawsuits on the broadest possible terms, some other large patent holder (e.g. Sony, IBM, Nokia, etc.) would have a powerful incentive to pick it up, invoke MAD in the other direction and milk the US Android exclusive for all it was worth.
The answer, I have come to realize, is no. It will always be no. Ridiculous examples do not drive change. The only thing that will drive change is a direct attack on John Doe (aka patenting the mRNA polymerase gene and demanding licensing fees from everyone) or collaborative effort that has a direct effect on John Doe- for example, a "strike" by a large number of significant companies, or a "dark knight" who uses patents to completely shut down a very popular company like Apple and thus incite the people.
I am a pessimist, I know, but honestly if you've paid attention these past few years, you'll have noticed that obscene patent stories just keep coming.