This week in class we started to talk about copyright and patent law, due to the patent reform bill that was passed in September. Before the bill was passed I remember listening to an interesting story on NPR’s Morning Edition that focused on one point that Lankes brought up in class - many companies are racing to acquire as many patents as possible to gain strength in the market place. For example, the reason Google now owns Motorola Mobility is due to the 17,000 patents that company had registered. Lankes went into more detail to describe the value of patents and inevitably the potential payout from lawsuits these companies file. NPR stated that 2011 is now being called the “Year of the Patent Wars.” I enjoyed the NPR story because it also gave interesting examples of lawsuit that companies are battling today and how it actually impacts us, the consumer. The fact that the “patent wars” are having a negative effect on innovation was the most startling. The companies that are involved in the “patent wars” have one goal in mind – to stop competitors. In turn, they are pushing out small companies and new ideas that try to enter and compete in the market place. It is believed that no end is in sight for the “patent wars” and I am curious if companies will find themselves in a weaker position in the future due to the negative impact it is having on innovation. For now, I will keep listening for fate of Kodak.
The full story can be found here: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/26/139924549/patent-wars-could-dull-techs-cutting-edge.
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