Notwithstanding the vast corporate and entrepreneurial resources expended each year to file, prosecute, manage and maintain patents, a significant majority end up having little or no business value to their owners. Whether or not you agree with my opinion that a majority of patents are worthless, or whether you think that only "many" or even "some" patents are worthless, with the resources committed to obtaining patent rights and the expectations placed in them by their owners, the question must then become "why do any patents end up not having any value?"

Most patent owners, both corporations and entrepreneurs alike, place responsibility for obtaining and managing their patent rights in the hands of patent professionals. The path to value goes astray at this point. This article details why this is the case.