Many people around these parts reject software patents as immoral, because software is just applied mathematics and mathematics should not be patentable.
So yes, any use of a software patent offensively is malicious.
Software can ve very far from mathematics. Your argument applies to algorithms, but personally I don't think that React falls under the category of algorithms (it may use algorithms, though).
Still, folks more knowledgeable than me on this topic say it's not a big deal: https://medium.com/@dwalsh.sdlr/react-facebook-and-the-revok...