Why Patents Don't Work: How A Broken Patent System Thwarts Innovation And Curbs Competition

Everyone's heard the story about the little guy in his garage who came up with a great invention, got a patent, and then became wildly successful selling his product to millions. Problem is, garage-inventor millionaires are pretty hard to find. Filing for a patent is complicated, expensive, time consuming, and then subject to myriad challenges from vested interests. In fact, the patent system today is most often used by well-heeled individuals and organizations to impede the introduction of better products by competitors.