If you violate a patent unknowingly, you are liable for damages. If you violate a patent you know exists, you are liable for treble damages.
The only rational thing for someone who actually makes stuff to do is to not read any patents, ever, as a matter of general policy.
This might not be the socially responsible answer; we should all be fighting the patent madness in our industry. It is, however, the most logical course of action. It puts the lie to the whole "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" thing, but that's where we are.
The only rational thing for someone who actually makes stuff to do is to not read any patents, ever, as a matter of general policy.
This might not be the socially responsible answer; we should all be fighting the patent madness in our industry. It is, however, the most logical course of action. It puts the lie to the whole "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" thing, but that's where we are.