This is a good point, but far from complete. It is not like they are rolling in the proceeds. Word on the street is that the IV funds are not profitable yet. A

This is a good point, but far from complete. It is not like they are rolling in the proceeds. Word on the street is that the IV funds are not profitable yet. Also, inventors, who they purchase patents from, are in fact getting checks in the mail. So at least one of the following are true: - They are paying inventors (patent holders) too much - Nobody should pay inventors at all - They should be more aggressive in acquiring settlements / awards in court. - They should shut down completely. - They should cut overhead. Of the above, cutting overhead seems most reasonable. But there are significant activities in their invention lab. They have the world's most advanced malaria modeling system. They are developing a cold chain for vaccines with an incredibly clever thermo-mechanically activated cold finger for control. They are pushing metamaterials. They have an incredibly cool mosquito calming project. They run invention dinners where amazingly brilliant, cool people attack novel problems in novel ways. And TerraPower could, if they are successful, crack the energy problem. Cutting overhead would hurt most of the incredibly commendable activities that they are doing. It takes big bucks to run an invention lab. This isn't the only way, of course. But I'm calling it when I see it: IV is making honest efforts to invent and commercialize a series of amazing inventions, including those in the physical world. Almost nobody else is doing this today. They are funding inventors -- their own and outside inventors, through what many believe are questionable methods exploiting legal loopholes, but are in fact often direclty in keeping with the intent of an admittedly archaic and outdated system. And they're being scapegoated not because they might be a patent troll, but because they are a publicly identifiable organization with public inventions and activities, and public advocacy. And it's a damned shame that we are so clannish that the are ready to, without thinking, without the requisite knowledge, damn one of the only truly ambitious efforts in physical invention, and great hacker, simply because we do not understand, do not approve of, or are uncomfortable with, the systems that are being used to support invention.