Intellectual Vultures claim they invest in invention when in actuality they are simply scavenging on the carrion of inventors. Not a single technology from thei

Intellectual Vultures claim they invest in invention when in actuality they are simply scavenging on the carrion of inventors. Not a single technology from their lab has made it into commercial use. Instead they have created a culture of litigation and fear within the software industry. 30 percent of U.S. patents are essentially on things that have already been invented. Almost anyone trying to start a business on the Internet is guilty of infringement. Once you have enough success to become visible in the public eye you immediately become a target of patent trolls. Precious resources (time and money) are wasted defending lawsuits or getting sued out of existence. Large companies are also wasting resources amassing defensive arsenals of patents. Apple and a consortium of other tech companies recently purchased Nortel's portfolio for $4.5 billion dollars in the largest patent auction in history. Unfortunately this is not to use these technologies. Rather it is saying, "If you sue me, I'll sue you." This cycle is not creating value it is destroying it. It gets in the way of new ideas and products and wastes resources on litigation instead of innovation.