The ability of an intrepid inventor to strike it rich from a great idea seems to be embedded in the DNA of many Americans. In truth, however, getting rich merely from a patent is a rare occurrence–maybe not as low a probability as winning the lottery, but the odds are incredibly long that any person can make money from a patented idea alone. There are many reasons why the idea getting rich from patenting an idea is overstated, several of which I have discussed before on this blog. This posting will specifically address why patent litigation as a business model is a non-starter for making most inventors wealthy.