ollecting patents for defensive purposes is a
rational action.  The current patent system, at least in the United
States, is by its nature an arms race: if your competitors have
acquired a lot of patents, then your best defense is to acquire a lot
of patents yourself, so that if you're ever hit with a patent
infringement suit you can respond with a similar threat—then the
two parties usually sit down and work out a cross-licensing deal so
that neither of them has to pay anything, except to their intellect