Yes, but if they are purchasing this property together to use as a weapon against another company... it seems awfully anti-competitive. Similarly, you could ma

Yes, but if they are purchasing this property together to use as a weapon against another company... it seems awfully anti-competitive. Similarly, you could make a similar assertion that "companies should be allowed to sell their products at prices they decide", but it's quite another thing if several get together to do this to put another organisation out of business (or drive-up prices). It's anti-competitive and (eventually) bad for everyone. Regarding 'open source', I'm assuming you can buy a patent and put it in the public domain or some similar construction. This may be attractive for a group of companies who are all being blackmailed into licensing. It may even be worth paying a premium for, as it could reduce exposure to risks (licensor changing his mind, competitor buying license and suing, etc).