Small companies that have done something new aren't buried six feet under a lawsuit, they are bought out and become Google YouTube, or Google Maps, or Google Blogger.
Yes they may be forced to sell or sell for less to avoid patent lawsuits against them, but they sell for more than if they didn't have any patents themselves.
It isn't an idea situation, but patents still generate a ton of income for small inventors.
It isn't an idea situation, but patents still generate a ton of income for small inventors.
But is this income generated for a good reason or just because ..."patents"? Are these small companies getting paid because of the good work they've done or because they've managed to fake enough to get some patents useful in a war-chest of patents for a larger company down the road?
Yes they may be forced to sell or sell for less to avoid patent lawsuits against them, but they sell for more than if they didn't have any patents themselves.
It isn't an idea situation, but patents still generate a ton of income for small inventors.