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Chapter 9
PATENT SYSTEM
OPERATIONAL REALITY
9.1 EXISTENTIAL REASONS
FOR PATENTING
To understand at the most fundamental level why technology businesses seek
patents, we rst have to understand why technology businesses exist in the
rstplace. ey exist to make a prot for their shareholders. ey do not exist
so that people can have jobs or have fun at work. Technology businesses are all
about making money and, more specically, are all about making a prot; even
more specically, they are all about maximizing that prot.
To this end, well-run companies implement recognized best practices and proce-
dures in as many aspects of their busine ...