The ongoing patent wars being waged among several companies within the technology industry have some questioning whether copyright and trademark protections are being overused. One judge who has witnessed patent battles first-hand seems to think so.

CNET reported that U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner, who months ago dismissed a patent lawsuit between Apple and Motorola, recently took to his blog to speak out against such litigation. Posner argued that it’s difficult for judges and juries alike to rule on patent lawsuits, given the fact that devices themselves contain thousands—if not more—parts that can all be patented. The result, Posner said, is tangled “patent thickets” that make it easy for companies to accuse competitors of infringement. Not only that, but it also allows those organizations that are sued to then question the validity of certain patents—making the legal waters ever murkier.

Yankee Group Research VP Carl Howe comments

“Motorola must have been listening to Judge Posner’s arguments, because it dropped its ITC lawsuit against Apple today as well. While patents can be important protections for device manufacturers, that protection only comes at a cost of years of litigation and millions of dollars of legal fees. While those types of fights may be completely worth the cost to a company like Apple with $100 billion in cash, other manufacturers may see investments in new products and better marketing to offer better returns.”