Another question is why do companies get them? Software and other ephemeral businesses lack physical assets. That's scary to quite a few MBA types, especially

Another question is why do companies get them? Software and other ephemeral businesses lack physical assets. That's scary to quite a few MBA types, especially those brought up outside this industry. A patent is something that makes software look on the balance sheet as if it's a physical asset that the company holds. It's all an illusion, but it's a security blanket for these types.