u/10k-hours

I wanted to share a pretty unique little pickleball spot in Encinitas, California: the free public courts near Moonlight Beach.

It’s not a giant pickleball complex, so don’t expect 20 dedicated courts, tournaments, food trucks, and a full club scene. But that’s kind of what makes it cool. There are four courts, and there’s no charge to play. You can just show up, get some games in, and enjoy one of the better coastal settings I’ve seen for casual pickleball.

What makes it special is the setting.

The courts are right near Moonlight Beach, one of the best beach areas in North County San Diego. You can play a few games, walk to the sand, watch the sunset, grab coffee or food nearby, or make it part of a full beach day. It has that classic Southern California “play a match, then go jump in the ocean” feeling.

The setting is also more interesting than a lot of standard park courts. Instead of feeling like you’re playing next to a parking lot or inside a big rec complex, these courts are in a quieter, creekside/canyon-like area just east of the beach. It feels a little tucked away, but still walkable to the ocean, downtown Encinitas, coffee, restaurants, and ice cream.

The weather is a huge part of the appeal too. Encinitas has that coastal San Diego climate where outdoor pickleball works almost year-round.

It’s not “impressive” in the mega-facility sense. It’s impressive because of the total experience. Free public courts, four courts, beach nearby, great weather, walkable food and coffee, and a relaxed coastal vibe is a pretty rare combo. A lot of pickleball courts are just courts. This feels more like a full outing.

Since there are only four courts, I’d treat it as a “bring a few people and enjoy the setting” kind of spot rather than a guaranteed huge open-play destination. If it’s busy, you may need to wait or have a backup plan. But as a place to play while visiting Encinitas or spending the day near Moonlight Beach, it’s hard to beat.

Also, it’s a great spot if you’re traveling with family or friends who aren’t hardcore pickleball people. They can hang at the beach, walk around Encinitas, grab coffee, or check out the area while others play.

I’ve been thinking about whether we can still create anything like a “trillion‑dollar” software patent today.

As one historical example, Larry Page’s PageRank patent (US 6,285,999) was filed in the late 1990s and exclusively licensed from Stanford to Google. By ranking pages based on the link structure of the web, it helped Google deliver dramatically better results than AltaVista, Lycos, Yahoo, Excite, and the other engines of that era. That advantage fed directly into usage, data, ad performance, and ultimately trillions of dollars in enterprise value.

Back then, PageRank looked like a genuine step‑function improvement: a new way of solving the ranking problem that plugged into strong data and network effects. The patent bought Google time to scale before competitors could copy the core idea.

My (inventor/founder) question for this sub:

Given today’s case law (Alice/Mayo, etc.), examining guidelines, and how examiners treat software/AI applications, do you think it is still realistically possible for a software patent to play a similar role?

More concretely:

• Are there areas of software/AI/ML/crypto where you believe a single, well‑drafted patent family could still become that kind of leverage point for a startup?
• Or has the combination of eligibility limits, obviousness standards, and fast imitation eroded the odds so much that “trillion‑dollar” software patents are basically a historical artifact?
• For those of you who prosecute or litigate in this space, what characteristics would you look for if a client came to you saying, “I think this could be our PageRank”?

I’m especially interested in perspectives from practitioners who have seen software patents meaningfully move valuation, deal dynamics, or litigation outcomes in the last 5–10 years.

Side note: I’ve also started r/SoftwarePatentIP as a place to collect case studies and debates specifically about software patents. If that’s your niche, you’re very welcome to join—but I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts here in r/patentlaw first.

As summer approaches, I find myself checking the Moonlight Beach Webcam more often. It's a great resource. It's free and ad free too!