Issues & Insights: Big Tech’s Sticky Fingers Are Still at Work in Washington by Adam Mossoff
Big Tech is strongly criticized in Congress these days, but it still has sway in Washington when it lobbies Congress to weaken the U.S. patent system. That’s bad news for everyone.
Years ago, Big Tech changed its business strategy. Previously, these tech companies would buy or license patent rights to new technologies — paying for the use of other people’s inventions. But now, Big Tech steals these inventions.
This blatantly violates intellectual property laws. But Big Tech has gobs of money to deal with the consequences. Companies like Apple and Google have hundreds of billions in cash reserves — orders of magnitude more than small businesses earn in total yearly revenues. So, Big Tech engages in “predatory infringement” because it’s cheaper to steal than to respect the law.